How cold have you become?
by Capsicle Games
Summary: Loki hates himself; that's a fact. Perhaps even Thor doesn't stand him either. After a year of sitting in a cell alone, Loki is sentenced to live with Tony Stark as a mortal. Through Tony's help, Loki learns not only to love himself, but others, and maybe, just maybe, Thor will relearn to love him too. FrostIron, sappy but sweet. Based lightly off Thor 2 trailer,
1. Prologue

There's only so much a heart could take, even for an immortal.

The darkness never helped him sleep; instead it served as a cruel reminder to his unknown fate. His cell always felt cold despite Asgard's usual warmth and his long-sleeved tunic. He supposed it was because of his heritage. All because he was a frost giant.

He hated those words so much. _Frost giant_. If he could, he'd get rid of his blue skin. If he still had his magic, he'd claw it all off until it was nothing more but fragments of a lost mask. But deep down, he knew that wouldn't solve anything. He'd have to erase the frost from his DNA, pump it out his veins, slip it all right out before he'd feel better. But he couldn't.

And somehow he got it into his mind that his "brother" knew this. He thought the blonde knew Loki couldn't-_wouldn't_ be able to change. This, in Loki's mind, was why the Asgardian prince never visited him. It hurt, it truly did, but he rationalized that he deserved it.

So Loki sat and endured his punishment of a century of solitude with the exception of guards coming to feed him. He sat in a fit of self pity, of self hatred, and refused to cry himself to sleep. His hair grew longer, but he didn't care.

It was painful for him, and he never spoke, not even to himself. He was expecting the darkness that had become a veil of his soul to gobble him right up.

Instead though, it brought Thor.


	2. Alcohol and Girls

Tony Stark wasn't having the best of days, or months really.

It all started about four months after the invasion when he woke up to an empty bed for the first time since he began dating Pepper Potts. The abnormally cold bed had sent a slight shiver down his spine. The wrinkled note she left on her side almost went unnoticed. Once Tony read it, his heart was crushed.

"_I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry." _it said.

He was dumped.

Tony called her shortly afterwards, wanting an explanation. Pepper answered only a week later, simply saying, "I can't deal with the constant danger, and besides, I'm in love with someone else. Sorry."

Stark turned back to the drinking, partying, and staying locked in his lab. It hurt, it really did. He wasn't sure what else to do. Fortunately Pepper was still his CEO so his company wasn't in shambles. She did come by every now and then to make sure he was still alive, but nothing more.

Now, four months later, Tony wasn't exactly doing the best...'up in the attic' wise.

The (fake) busty blonde he was currently escorting upstairs to his tower penthouse was too chatty and a little too drunk for his likes. Every other second, she was shrieking then pushing him against the nearest wall just to attack his face with whatever her definition of kissing was. It was so damn annoying and it was a wonder he made it that far. Honestly, he wouldn't have been surprised if she made out with the cab they had ridden.

"Ah! Ah! Tony, it's rather nice in here!" she cooed once the elevator finally reached the penthouse.

"That's not the only thing," Stark began, leaning down to kiss her when, suddenly, she jumped up and flailed her arms about. The iron man let out a heavy sigh in disgust and simply moved away. He needed more to drink.

"JARVIS, make sure she doesn't break anything."

"Yes sir."

Tony made his way to his bar and with an expert motion, grabbed a scotch, and guzzled it down straight from the bottle. It burned his throat the whole way down and he reveled in the feeling. It felt much better than interacting with the blonde. Perhaps he should just sleep with the bottle. It'd be better than a night with-

Something tackled him to the ground and his bottle shattered right on his feet and hands. The blonde hugging him from behind squawked and Tony decided that was it.

He roughly escorted her back to the elevator with the glass still in his skin and blood seeping out. "JARVIS, take her down, get a cab, and make sure she gets home. Also record her into the list of girls _never_ coming back."

"Sir, would you-"

"Now JARVIS!"

He turned away with a huff to clean himself off.

* * *

Things didn't get any better for him. Being somewhat drunk, he stumbled over to his bathroom where he sat down and prayed that he wouldn't cause the glass to pierce his skin any deeper.

After removing what he thought was all the shards (he was at a point where he didn't care about the tiny shards anymore), he jumped right into the shower. The poor thing slipped and fell a couple of times, not helping the searing pain in his feet and hands.

Muttering many curses, he eventually ended his shower, applied bandages to his wounds, and made his way to his closet. He slipped on a pair of jeans, a band t-shirt that was perhaps one size too small, and made his way to his lab. It would hurt as hell to tinker after all he's been through, and most people would have just gone to bed. Tony Stark wasn't most people, okay?

"JARVIS, get the lab ready for me?"

"Sir, what would you like to hear today?" His AI responded, polite as ever.

"Anything, I don't give a damn at the moment." he said, entering his workspace. He gave a sigh of relief before opening up his latest project.

"Right away sir." JARVIS responded and promptly put on a rather upbeat, teeny-bopper tune.

_I just need somebody to looooooveeee, I I don't need to much, just somebody to lo-_

"JARVIS, TURN THAT SHIT OFF!" Tony yelled.

He collapsed onto the floor, completely done. He just couldn't take it anymore, really. Almost all his days seemed to turn out the same way and there was no escaping it. Tony wanted to cry, but he didn't. He wasn't sure why, but he just refused to let it out.

Instead though, he found a paperclip laying a little distance away, neglected just like him. Just like him, it was left on the floor, forgotten. Dusty. Lonely. He grabbed it, and held it close to his chest. Yes, he understood it. Him and the paperclip were just the same. "Poor thing," Tony said, cuddling it. "I'll be here for you."

He fell silent and stared around at his lab for long moments, not sure what to do now. But then, it seemed like he didn't need to figure it out for himself as something decided to come crashing through his roof at that precise moment.

**A/N: Hey there! Sorry if anyone seems out of character. This is my first real fanfiction! Thank you for reading and I'll update soon. (:**


	3. What are you doing?

Tony had less that two seconds to react and he sure as hell didn't spend them wisely. Instead of acting like any sensible person, who would have probably rushed to his suit, he merely rolled over so that the lower half of his body was protected under his workbench.

The rubble from the ceiling fell and dust spewed everywhere. He jerked out of the way of several large objects hurtling towards his head (probably some piping) and covered his mouth. Dazed, Tony clutched the paper clip close to his arc reactor with his other hand It was still safe; for a moment it was his world.

But then a large, dark, greasy figure came through the gaping hole in the ceiling with a crash. It tumbled and rolled right on top of Tony. The man's head was covered with some rough cloth, with maybe a texture of an old fashioned potato sack. The heavy musky scent of a man's body odor filled his nostrils and Tony realized whatever came into his house was...a man! He was a master at deducing once he got the healthy scent of sweat up his nose.

The low pain-groan he heard from the figure on top of him confirmed his assumption. With a heave that screamed he was done with shit for the day, he attempted to move the man off _his face_. It took several tries, but he managed to roll the body off him and to the side. The iron man pocketed his precious paper clip before climbing from under the bench and slowly standing up to survey the damage.

Oh, it wasn't good. He could see New York's night sky in the hole above. Some of his projects were damaged from the ceiling crap falling out. The good thing was that his truly important things-like his suits- were relatively fine.

Next, he turned his attention, reluctantly, to the new man.

Sprawled on his stomach, the stranger had greasy _long_ hair covering his face. Tony's eyes trailed down to observe his outfit. The rough green tunic, which was what was pressed against his face earlier, hung loose off the stranger's frame. The pants on him were ripped and he was barefoot. Fresh blood was seeping out various gashes and cuts all along the visible skin. _Wonderful._

"Hey, free loader. I'm sorry but there's no room up for rent here and only ladies are free. You're gonna' have to leave." Tony said.

After a moment of silence, he dared to kick the mysterious man on his side.

"Hello?" he tried again.

No answer. Another kick. Another.

"Alright, I guess you're unconscious." he mumbled and internally rolled his eyes. Nope, man falls through his roof. Why the hell would he still be conscious? Genius.

The iron man resolved to simply drag the free loader out of the room. He grabbed his legs, and started pulling him towards the exit. In the process, the man's hair shifted. Curious, Tony stopped what he was doing.

"Hey, you're hair's trying to crawl away."

No answer.

"I'll fix it for you." he said, bent down, and swiped the black off the man's face.

It was Loki.

* * *

"Pepper! Pepper! I need your help," Tony said, his tone full of panic. The stark phone he had pressed against his ear was trembling.

"Stark, it's two in the morning."

Tony recoiled when he heard her use his last name. He would never get used to it.

"Pepper, I need your help-"

"You're drunk, Stark. Remember last time you called me like this?"

Oh yes, he did remember. A few weeks ago he had called Pepper in the middle of the night asking for 'help'. In his defense he was drunk out his mind and that pack of ketchup was hard to open. He couldn't even stand straight.

"Yes, Pepper, but this time I know I'm not drunk and I need your help! A-"

"How many glasses have you had tonight?"

"What? No Pepper, not now-"

"How many Anthony?"

"Two."

"_Tony_."

"Fine, I lost track after that." he ran his hand through his hair.

"Exactly. Tony, everything is fine. Now, if you're really that worried over ketchup, just calm down. Think and do what you think is right, okay? Approach it with caution, grab the corner of it, and gently open it. Good?"

Tony took two breaths before nodding. Then he remembered she couldn't see him.

"Thank you Pepper." he breathed. The two exchanged clipped "byes" and the iron man readied himself to handle Loki. Well, he readied as best as he could as he didn't know why the hell the norse god was in his tower in the first place.

* * *

Tony Stark was a smartass. That was just the cold hard truth. It was written right into his personality and even when his intentions are good, his snark still tainted it.

If this was a movie, the cue for a dramatic montage would come in right here. It would show the quick ten minutes Tony took to lay Loki out in the living room, him running away as soon as he set him down, and then him running to get his "supplies". He wasn't sure what was going on, the alcohol was effecting his brain, and he wasn't sure what he was doing. He grabbed a tool bucket and loaded it down with medical supplies. Pliers and tweezers were added. He even threw in a mini saw.

JARVIS put on more teeny bopper tunes for Tony's preparation. Despite his master's protests, JARVIS even had the nerve to turn the volume up.

After Tony finished loading his last supplies (staplers, cookies, and his bracelets), he was ready. It was time for him to wake the sleeping beast and find out what the heck was going on.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews, favs, and follows! I'm glad you like it.(:**

**Once again, OOC and sorry, also sorry for the cursing but it is Tony. Hope everything makes sense. Until next time!**


	4. Fetal Position

"I'm ready. JARVIS, I think I'm ready for this!"

Tony had drunk enough alcohol to last him well over a day. He actually figured, deep in some part of his mind, that he was even soaked in it. Along the way of guzzling down half his storage of expensive and strong drink, he poured some all over the place.

Now he was crouching a few feet away from the Norse god lying unconscious(?) on the floor. In Tony's hand was a large wooden stool, held precariously in front of him. He resembled one of those lion-tamers he saw on tv and in movies. The stool was his handy-dandy whip. The lion was a sleeping Loki. All Tony was missing from the picture was the confidence and gusto that came with the tamer. Though he had drunk to muffle his spiraling emotions, the fear and anxiety that came with dealing with Loki still stood.

He remembered that day when Loki brought havoc to New York quite vividly. It was an attack that still haunted his dreams. Sometimes he'd wake after being thrown out a window and into a black hole in space in his dreams. Or even he dreamt of his suit shutting off in space.

So no, he wasn't too keen he decided in his drunk mind. He really couldn't handle anything more unpleasant in his day but this needed to be done. With a quick breath and a drunken stumble, he moved just a few inches closer.

"Hello?" he said, extending the stool so that a leg poked the trickster. His unwelcome guest twitched in response, a pained moan escaping his lips.

Tony took that as a good sign, reached behind himself for the bucket of supplies, and pulled it closer. Then he sifted his attention back to the stool and jabbed Loki in his side this time.

"Hey! Wake up Bambi, you're bleeding on my floor!"

"Sir, would you like me to inform SHIELD of-" JARVIS quickly spoke up when this time Loki's arm moved.

The iron man flinched and stumbled, falling on his side, and the stool flew out his hands in the process. It hit Loki square in his ribs and this time, the villain actually opened his eyes along with another moan. However, Tony did not notice as he was preoccupied with resuming his former stance.

"No! Don't call Ferocious on me JARV!" Tony said.

Then he froze when his clouded brown gaze met Loki's intense green. It literally stole his breath away. Shivers and pine needles ran right down his spine and for a second his was right back to that moment where Loki grabbed him by the neck. He was back to the moment where he was brutally smashed into the window. And then, he remembered the air rushing around him, through his hair, the panic he felt back then.

And Tony did the most reasonable thing he could think of in his drunk off his ass state: assume the fetal position!

The movement was so abrupt that Loki himself recoiled, and his once neutral expression reflected Tony's fear. The two sat in silence for a while, their gazes still interlocked. It hadn't occurred to Tony to turn the other way in his position or to even get his suit. No, he didn't know what to do. So he did he best.

"H-hey Reindeer Games. I see you decided to drop by," Tony began, his voice slurred and shaky. He wasn't doing well, but he was trying.

Loki just stared back, waiting for something. Tony figured it was his unanswered question.

"Should I be returning you to a cell on Asgard or something?" he finally said.

That hit a nerve and Loki looked like he wanted to squirm. He shook his head quickly, looking just like a maniac. Oh wait, Tony drawled in his mind. He was one.

"I don't believe you. I don't think," Tony dared to uncoil himself. "But, I think I need to patch you up. I think."

He reached for his bucket when Loki didn't move, make a sound, or anything.

"So, uh, don't move! Don't try to kill me, okay? I got a suit and I'm not afraid to blast you in the face." As this was being said, Loki seemed to turn paler if that was even possible. He inched away again, clearly not trusting Tony to do anything to him. This should had registered as a white flag in Tony's mind, but his slurry thoughts weren't being too observant in that respect. The man of iron was still preoccupied with his own fear and distrust even when Loki didn't try to attack him when he stood up.

Tony then finally got to work on the "god" as best as any drunk could do. He cautiously cleaned each wound he could see. The only sounds Loki made were small hisses of pain and the only movement he had were flinches. After Tony got into the groove of things, and minutes passed, both parties seemed to relax some.

* * *

"Just calm down," Tony kept mumbling to himself and Loki was very puzzled. He supposed it was just something the man of iron did while intoxicated.

Loki had calmed down considerably considering the moment he "woke up" he was scared out his mind Tony Stark would take revenge upon him. He dreaded the first blow and made sure not to close his eyes in case the mortal tried something.

However the blows never came; instead the stench of alcohol wafted off the drunkard's skin. After seeing Stark wasn't much of an angry drunk (it was a surprise to see him in the fetal position), he allowed the man to help his injuries.

As far as he knew, Stark was not a threat as long as he was still in such a state. He couldn't vouch for that thin security though when Stark was sober though. And that was something Loki feared along with Stark finding out about his lack of powers.

He himself had a vague idea of why he ended up crashing through Stark Towers of all places. And it brought a dark aching feeling to his chest when he realized it was all Thor's doing.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, thanks for all the support! I love reading the reviews, they are very helpful, and thank you for the follows. This might be my last update in a week as I might not be able to update. Be don't worry, I'll assume my nearly-daily updates after next week. Thanks guys! (:**


	5. I'm waking up

When Tony wakes up, he's not sure where he was and a nasty hangover was over his head. Still delirious, he miraculously crawled his way down to a bathroom where he threw up. His headache was pounding and his throat was very sore from the sharp tang of the drinks, but he was used to it. This wasn't his worse actually.

The iron man quickly took a shower, washing away whatever filth hung on to him. He vaguely remembered his night; did whatever girl that came with him leave? Had she left on her own? What did she look like?

Goodness, it might not have been his worse hangover yet but it still did its damage.

He dressed quickly and popped a few pills in his mouth for his head. He waited around for half an hour until the medicine finally did it's trick. From there he made his way back out to his living room/kitchen area. His stomach was growling and he really needed some food. Tony couldn't remember whether or not he still had leftovers sitting in his fridge. Either way, he could just call a place up for some grub.

"JARV, put on some coffee. Is there anything in the fridge?" he asked, stretching and approaching the kitchen. The coffee machine buzzed on as soon as he took a seat on the counter.

"Sorry sir, but it appears to only be full of alcoholic beverages." JARVIS replied, and Tony detected a hint of snark in the AI's response.

"Hey, are you _sassing_ me?"

"No, sir. Would you like me to call a nearby restaurant?" his AI replied with the same tone as before. Tony narrowed his eyes but then shook it off.

"Yeah, pizza. The usual order."

The coffee machine dinged and Tony didn't wait for it to cool. He drank it straight from the container, nice and black like he liked it. The caffeine thoroughly awoke his senses and he felt refreshed. Man, he needed to lay off the drinks...

"And what about your guest, sir?"

What.

Tony almost choked. The girl was still here? What? Where, he thought he told JARVIS to chase them away before he woke up!

"JARVIS, why isn't she out of here?"

"Sir, I don't think your guest appreciates being referred to as female."

"What the hell?!" Tony did spit some coffee out this time. Who would be here? He racked his brain for any pieces of his night. And then it all clicked. Slowly, with great caution, he turned his head toward the living room. And sure enough, poking his head sheepishly over the back of his couch, was a scratched up Loki.

Tony dropped his mug on the ground and ignored the shattering glass. He clicked his bracelets on and summoned his suit in seconds. He felt the metal cling to his frame and he raised his arm to fire in case Loki made any sudden movements.

Loki slowly lowered his head so that he couldn't be seen. He was terrified. The frost giant decided then that sober Stark would surely kill him. Iron Man would probably aim blast after blast at his mortal body. He'd probably continue on until Loki was dead on his couch. How lovely.

"Why are you here?" Tony said, moving closer.

Loki frowned and shrunk against the couch's fabric. He was too weak to run away. He had no magic. He wasn't sure how well he could speak; after all his last words were muttered almost a year ago at his trial.

"Rudolph!" Loki nearly jumped and when he looked up the iron man was right in front of him.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, his voice coming out hoarse. This stopped the mortal right in his tracks and he waited for him to go on.

"I'm sorry to...intrude. I was...banished on Midgard as a punishment and...T-Thor..." Loki continued on, his voice cracking at the last word.

But Tony Stark must've figured his words were true as the metal suit came apart. It flew back where it came from, revealing the shorter man staring intently at him. After another moment of locking gazes, the human shrugged and turned away.

"JARVIS, change my order. You like pizza, Bambi? Oh wait, you've never had it. I forgot you ass guards don't have such great delicacies as us. JARV, add on another large."

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! Here's a gift for you guys, now I have to actually go. Hopefully I can update soon!**

**Thank you for the reviews and follows.(:**


	6. I feel it in my bones

Tony would never bet his entire fortune on the idea that one day he'd be sitting at a table, eating pizza with the "god of mischief". No, he would have a higher chance on betting he'd give JARVIS to Fury before he would put his cards on the former. But yet, here he was, eating with Loki himself.

The iron man had just finished half of his pizza while Loki was barely touching his first slice. Either he was still scared to death of Tony or he was overwhelmed by the fact Tony ordered him an entire pizza. Or maybe it was the fact that Tony Stark was sitting across from him, his own box opened as he was eating directly out of it.

It didn't matter. Loki was silent, a strange darkness in his eyes, but his posture defeated. It was freaking weird, and Tony squirmed every other second. He was highly tempted to grab a drink but he was still nursing his last hangover. Plus, he still wasn't completely informed on the current situation and a drunk Tony was not a good idea at that moment.

Thank goodness Tony had enough sense to judge that. But finally, as he was predictable, he decided to speak and break the awful silence.

"So, liking the pizza?" he asked, giving him his usual snark look.

Loki did not respond, and Tony realized he must have zoned right out.

"Ass guard?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. No response. "Bambi? Horndog?"

"Hm?" Loki's attention snapped right back to him, his face tense. Tony took a quick bite of his food before asking,

"How's the food?"

"Filling."

"That's great! Yeah, I didn't know what you wanted, but my favorite is always-"

"When are you going to turn me over to SHIELD or Thor?"

"What?" Tony blinked, partly surprised. Damn, there was no beating around the bush with Loki. The villain was already staring into his eyes, the green a hard serious color. There was no joking in his tone, only wariness and a well controlled tone that hid whatever he could've been hiding.

"I do not expect you to continue to treat me as a guest as I am intruding, and my departure is bound to be swift. I simply would like to know when it will happen so I can prepare for whatever punishment I am to endure."

"W-What?" Tony repeated, now surprised.

"Please do not feel the need to soften anything. I firmly understand your reluctance to keep me here as I have wronged you so much in the past."

"No, you got that wrong!" Tony said firmly, stopping Loki from spouting out anything else. "I have not said anything to tell you I do not want you here, have I? Damn, I ordered you pizza! I just want to know what is going on, and since you haven't slit my throat yet, I'm fine with you right here!"

"No, that is not it." Loki shook his head, the emotion he was working so hard to prevent from coming out finally breaking the barrier. It was fear and sadness, and it made his voice crack.

"_Yes_ it is!" Tony insisted.

"I've wronged you in the past." Now Loki was shaking, his eyes watering as if he'd burst into tears. It was disturbing to Tony and he could feel himself shaking. "So you _must_ want revenge for my acts. I've killed so many of your people, surely you want something!"

"I don't! Why would you believe that!"

"Because, it's the only logical answer-"

"No! No, it's not! I do not want to hurt you, Sparkles! What happened back then, that was a year ago! You've been in Asgard, you had your time out. That's it! Why would I want to hurt you after all that?!"

"Because Thor did!" Loki yelled the last word, nearly pushing the pizza onto the floor as he was shaking too much.

This stopped Tony and a million questions flooded into his mind at once. What? Would Thor do that? Why would Thor do whatever he did?

"I'm not Thor." He answered slowly. "And I'm not SHIELD either. I don't want revenge."

A silence fell between the two as Loki stared at him with disbelief all over his features. Tony had no clue what to do, and it was depressing him. Seeing the hurt on Loki's expressions were plain alien to him and he wished he could just turn away. But then he got an idea, and he quickly brought up his hand and slapped Loki hard across his face.

The taller man was taken off guard and recoiled as soon as the pain came to his face. He gasped, scared that the slap was the beginning of the blow. He readied himself for the rest of the hits, but once again, they didn't come. Instead, he looked up and Tony was giving him a sheepish look.

"There," Tony began. "We're even. You're forgiven, not entirely, but enough to stay here. I don't know what Thor did, but it seems like it was enough."

* * *

**A/N: Bla bla, OOC, bla bla.**

**Anyway, thanks for the positive response! It means a lot to me as I enjoy reading your reviews and getting notifications! I'm sorry but Tony had to slap Loki. I just feel it needed to be done...**

**Will update soon!**


	7. I'm radioactive, radioactive

"Hey, try this one on!" Tony said, and tossed the shirt right over his shoulder without pause in looking through the box of clothes. He had no clue whether Loki caught it or had to scramble to get it, but that's really on him he decided.

Shortly after the slap, the two finished their meal without a word. And then, Tony noticed some fresh blood on Loki. Being responsible, he quickly worked to fix that. He re-cleaned the wounds and applied new bandages. The whole time he ignored Loki's stare, afraid one of them might crack and go into another emotional argument. Tony really didn't want to touch on that though it was inevitable. He hoped he had enough time to avoid any touchy-feely things until he got his own self together. But then again, that could take years.

He then noticed Loki's old bedraggled tunic and pants. Deciding it wasn't sanitary to keep him in that, he decided to take Loki to his closet to change.

Nothing fit him of course. The reindeer was just too damn tall and ended up ripping a few shirts of Tony's. Fortunately, none of them were too expensive and Tony could just purchase more.

The iron man resulted to searching through his "box of one-night stands" he kept deep in his closet. It was just a large cardboard box where he store all the clothes left after a crazy night and even some of Pepper's old outfits. In fact, his ex-girlfriend personally donated a lot of clothes to the box after their break-up. It was her way of getting rid of the old memories and also, as she put it, "assisting the poor dears who get dragged here for a night."

It had hurt Tony when she practically bad mouthed him and the tower, but he swallowed that down. It was actually useful as some nights did get pretty rough. A few ladies had actually contributed, others took something with them, and it became a communal thing around the place.

Now it would help Loki out. There was bound to be something his size, as knowing Tony, he had people of all shapes and sizes over. He swore he's had a few nights with some girls taller than the "god" anyway.

So far he had picked out two other shirts, each two sizes too small. He had to really dig down, push the revealing stuff to the side, and finally find the bigger stuff at the bottom. He threw a pair of black jeans over his shoulder, then a belt, then a band t-shirt. He rifled around, selected a few more shirts, and then his fingers froze when they came in contact with a familiar fabric.

Soft, lightweight, easily wrapping around his fingers. He remembered the feel _very_ well, especially on this particular garment.

It was a nice day, not a cloud in the sky. They were walking down the crowded streets, hand in hand, sunglasses on. No one recognized them yet, but they had a good half an hour before someone did. But that was all they needed. Pepper stopped him in front of a rather trendy looking store; the name eluded him but the feel of her breath on his neck didn't. "_Tony, look at that._"

In the shop window was a few mannequins, but the particular she was pointing to was right in front of them. Posing it's skinny body in a neutral stance, it was modeling the garment very well. The two stared at it for a few minutes before walking into the store and getting one for Pepper. He was so happy to see her shriek in excitement, to watch her tell the cashier she'd wear it out.

The cashmere v-neck sweater hugged her frame perfectly, and the peachy tone made her skin glow. She was beautiful, the most he ever seen her. Better than the mannequin by far in Tony's opinion. But Pepper rarely wore it, only twice he was sure. Both times took his breath away and he welcomed seeing her in it. But then she had washed it improperly, and it stretched out quite a bit. It became too big for her though it was still a great sweater.

But she put it in the cardboard box. He understand why and couldn't blame her completely; it was such a good memory of them together and if she held on to it, she would've come back. He wished she still had it.

"S-Stark?" came Loki's timid voice, jerking Tony back to present times. He turned around, sweater still in his hands and gave a faint nod.

He managed to fit in the pants, though they were probably an inch too short, the belt fit his skinny waist, but one of the band t-shirts he had was stuck on his head. The neck part was way too small.

Chuckling at the sight, Tony searched through his closet for a pair of scissors. He found one tucked away in the corner then turned back to Loki. Setting it beside the Asgardian, Tony reached over and gently tugged at the shirt. He was trying to pull it off, and Loki just watched him.

Finally, when Loki decided to help by pulling too, it came loose. If it had hurt him, he didn't say a word.

Tony straightened out the shirt on the floor, pulling out some wrinkled, before bringing scissors to it. He gently cut the collar off, instead giving the shirt a small v-neck (he didn't want to risk a scoop or anything else as he wasn't used to cutting up shirts). He threw the cut-off part to the side, then cut off the sleeves.

When he was done converting it into a tank, he passed it over to his guest who put it right on. The new tank went on with ease, and luckily, it fit Loki decently. The cut into the collar Tony made had cut off just a tip of the _Sound of Silence, Simon and Garfunkle_ shirt, but the whole thing was fine. Tony did a quick look over, admiring his work.

And hey, he had to admit, besides the bandages, Loki looked pretty nice. Though dressed in a gray top and black bottoms, he was definitely good looking. He shrugged those thoughts off though, as his goal was complete. He decided that he would go shopping for some shoes for him once he got better.

"Okay, looking good," Tony said, clasping his hands together. "I'll show you where you can sleep, and then I need to get to work."


	8. No more sleeping

About a thousand years or so ago, man believed the stars where the only thing in the universe that would never change. They believed they were stagnant, bright gods in the sky that lived far away. They needed to be worshipped, sacrificed to, and praised. The cosmos was one of life's greatest mysteries but they rationalized it with religion. Their gods were strong and absolute.

There was a time when Loki believed it. Foolish he was to.

For one, he wasn't Asgardian so he wouldn't exactly count in as the rest of his adoptive family. Two, he wasn't absolute. He wasn't perfect, none of them were, nor great, and Heimdal wasn't entirely all-seeing. It was so ironic of a race that thought so above themselves to accept the stories the very creatures they so-called triumphed over.

Loki was not a god, neither was Odin or Thor. No one in Asgard was a god, and it was so sad that the Midgardians figured that out way before them. They were just another group of lost creatures out in the universe. Though they knew of many other races and realms, they still barely scratched the surface of the universe themselves.

The frost giant was laying on the bed that Stark had lent him. The one was very well furnished and large, including a large array of technology and included a bathroom. One wall was just a giant window overlooking the city. He had pulled the blinds closed when he first walked in, not wanting to see the day light.

It was a bit too overwhelming on Loki to tell you the truth. He was so used to his tiny cell where he only had enough space to pace about five feet. Here, it seemed endless space.

Not wanting to strain his head too much, he had flopped on the bed. On his back he settled his unfocused gaze on the ceiling. Eventually, he managed to drift asleep.

* * *

_Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste._

A few lines from a peculiar song somehow drifted into Loki's dream of darkness. The whole dream he had done nothing but stand in pitch dark, unsure of where he was. But then the sound of music drifted in, an anchor to him. He listened to it for a while, not sure what the hell it was. But then the melody abruptly changed into something louder and heavier.

_See me ride out on the sunset on your color TV screen!_

What?

_Cause' I'm TNT I'm dynamite!_

The music shook the room, and Loki's eyes shot right open as he was jolted away. The music continued blaring, helping him lose whatever sleep he had left. The frost giant listened with his eyes on the ceiling, the music nearly bursting his ear drums. But then...he heard another voice along with it. Was someone..singing along?

"JARVIS!" Stark yelled, sounding out of breath. "Turn this party up! DJ get it going, JARV!"

Crazy ass human, Loki couldn't help but think. But then he quickly scolded himself for the thought as he _was_ getting cared for by Stark. Respect was needed from him so his tongue remained bitten.

Then the music changed again, becoming more upbeat.

_Starships were ment to fly_

"JARVIS! I said turn the party up. That means don't piss on it."

"Sir, I believe this is the appropriate music for parties as well as clubs."

"Shut up, JARV." Tony said, and started singing along just for the hell of it.

Finally, Loki dared to roll over on his side so he could see Tony. A light blush immediately crept onto his face. This was...not what he was expecting. Really, he was so surprised to how open Stark was. It shouldn't have shocked him, as on Asgard it was usually worse as men were sometimes plain naked, but coming from a former enemy...wow.

Tony Stark was a few feet away from his bed, dressed in only his boxers and a tight tank. He was dancing quite spastically, even throwing in a lewd move. He was definitely enjoying himself, as a genuine smile suddenly came to his face.

"...are you...drunk?" Loki asked after the song ended and another upbeat followed.

That was when Tony finally stopped dancing and noticed Loki was watching him. He gave a chuckle before waving his arm for the music to stop. It did on his command and he slowly shook his head, no.

"I'm sorry. I tried to shake you awake, but you wouldn't wake up. So I played some music and just decided to dance. Glad you can join me, Bambi."

That wasn't really true. About twenty minutes before waking his guest, Tony sat down and tried to figure out a way to open the Asgardian up a bit. It wasn't good for Loki to stayed holed up in his room as much as Tony wanted to stay in his workshop, plus if the iron man really thought about it, he needed the company. So he spoke with JARVIS, had a pointless conversation, and then started his "dance party".

"I don't dance...not any more." Loki responded, eyes going down to the floor.

"You'll be dancing once I start working on you."

Oh, that came out wrong. Tony hoped he didn't take it the wrong way. "I mean, I will definitely get you back into it."

"Why aren't you wearing pants," Loki mumbled, eyes still on the ground.

"Why haven't you been out of your room in two days?" Tony countered.

Loki blinked, very confused. What? Was he really asleep for that long. He suddenly noticed he was thirsty and hungry. His hair was also pretty greasy if that was an indicator. So, he had spent two days dreaming about standing in darkness. It must have been a sign.

"Come on, Horndog. I got takeout for ya'." Tony said again, this time holding the door open for the "god" to follow him. Loki got up, ignoring the fact that he was wearing his clothes from before, and left for the kitchen with Tony. Neither of them noticed Pepper Potts sitting at the bar with a stack of papers.


	9. Only for you

Pepper was the first to react when the two men realized she was there. Loki opted for cowering, not quite knowing who the woman was. He was immediately embarrassed by his behavior as the woman was a mere mortal, and he scolded himself for that. But hiding underneath the nearest chair felt safe for him. It brought back a painful memory of him cowering just like it behind a stool right before his trial. As soon as Loki landed on Asgard soil, most of his magic was taken from him. The most he could do with it was simple tricks. The guards had used that to their advantage and had gotten their revenge for the years of him torment as prince. The constantly had hit him, kick him, anything they could do. A small stool was his only friend in his first cell.

And then Thor had come to visit him one last time before the trial. The two had gotten into an argument, all over Thor calling Loki a brother. Things got heated, the two were neck and neck, and finally Thor made the first blow. He yelled at Loki, telling him how tired he was of the petty arguments they had over the one little word. Loki fought back, attempting to fight Thor.

"_Don't you ever call me a brother! I am not like you, I never was."_

_"Fine! So you say you don't want me as family?" _Thor boomed, landing a blow to Loki's face. The frost giant crumpled to the ground, his almost mortal body not as sturdy as he usually was. Thor kicked him again, anger taking over him.

"_Then we aren't family. I will not love you as a brother anymore!" _he yelled, aiming another kick at Loki's midsection. This time Loki scrambled frantically for his stool, holding it in front of him, shaking with a new fear.

"_THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT, TRICKSTER! I WILL NO LONGER PERMIT YOU TO SPEAK AGAINST MY FATHER EITHER."_ Thunder and lightning was surely dominating the Midgardian sky.

"_WATCH YOUR TONGUE, FROST GIANT, OR ELSE ONE DAY YOU'LL FIND IT CUT RIGHT OUT." _Thor grabbed the stool and yanked right out Loki's hands. He grabbed his ex-sibling by the collar, and breathed, "_Perform more treachery, threaten Asgard, or so much as try to escape your punishment, and I will __**kill**__ you._ Understood?"

Loki gave him a slight nod, tears threatening to spill out his wide eyes. The two held each other's gazes for a moment. Behind most of the rage, Loki could see hurt. Thor was hurt. Loki regretted everything he said before, wanted to take everything back, anything to keep Thor's love. In that moment, he realized he did care for his adopted brother. He had all along, and just like that, after years of betrayal on his part, he had thrown away perhaps the only person who was willing to care for him. It was over and Loki was truly alone.

He shifted back to reality just as Tony managed to calm Pepper down by a large degree. For a few moments, he watched the two talk, not exactly registering what was being said. But then words started to become clear in his head.

"For goodness sakes, Tony! At least tell SHIELD that he-"

"I can't," Tony interrupted. "At least not until he heals. I need answers first."

"You can't handle this alone, Tony." Pepper said, stubborn to make him see her point of view.

"No Pepper! I _need_ to know why he crashed here! I need to before SHIELD get him and locks him up for good!"

"You're being mind controlled."

"He's under _a chair_. Do you really think he's doing that?"

"I can't believe-"

"My house, my rules. He gets to remain here. At least, until we get everything straightened out."

"And then you hand him over?"

"...Pepper..."

"He is a VILLAIN TONY!" Pepper suddenly yelled, finger pointing in Loki's direction. "He has killed a lot of people, and he even threw you out a window!"

"Don't you DARE suggest I don't remember that!" Tony yelled back, getting riled up by her. He loved her, but goddamn could she just trust him? "Please. He's harmless. He's been here for like three days now."

"Three DAYS?"

"Yes." Tony said, and started walking towards Loki. He was done with the conversation with Pepper. He had to make sure Loki wasn't peeing all over the floor from anxiety because he sure looked like he would. Loki did flinch when Tony gently reached out a hand but he took it. Carefully, Tony helped the frost giant out from his hiding place and led him over to get some food. Since Loki was still pale and rigid, the iron man carefully filled a bowl with some takeout food for Loki and set him down in a seat.

"It's okay," Tony cooed, giving him a reassuring thumbs up. "Pep's scary, but she isn't the violent type."

This was where Pepper finally cleared her throat, done with observing the two's interactions.

"Is he my replacement?" she asked, not meeting Tony's eyes. Tony nearly choked on air.

"What?" he asked, at once lost for words.

"Is he my replacement?"

"Are you jealous?" he shot back. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"No. You were cheating on me the whole time anyway." she dismissed, ready to turn the conversation. But Tony held on.

"You assumed that. Don't be jealous of something you could have still had."

"It was nothing if you were bending women over behind my back."

"I never cheated on you, Pep. I can't believe you'd believe the press on that one," Tony said. "Sure, I'm not the most faithful. I have a reputation for that. But I'd never do that to you."

Pepper slowly shook her head, not quite believing it.

"Never to you, Pepper." he said. And he meant it.

* * *

**A/N: Hey all! Thank you again for the reviews, they really make my day and help me move faster. Just wanted to say I have more free time, so maybe I'll be able to have multiple chapters in a day...? (;**

**Thank you for following/fav/reviewing!**


	10. Make your call Pepper

"These all need to be signed by tomorrow. I have them all organized in a certain order and they need to stay that way," Pepper said. "I will be back here at seven o'clock sharp, Tony. I suggest you wake up early enough for my arrival."

"What?" Tony snapped, nearly dropping his bowl of noodles, mouth hanging open. "Me? Up at _that_ unholy hour in the morning? Loki isn't even up then, right Lokes?"

The iron man casually poked the norse god in the ribs, ignoring any tensing of his body. So Loki was still healing from his crash. It wasn't the nicest or ideal thing for Tony to do, but he figured he was tough enough for it. After all, it was just a poke?

Loki's reply came in a curt nod, him keeping his gaze trained on his feet. Pepper openly stared at Loki, searching for any chink in his armor. She didn't trust him at all and was thoroughly convinced he was planning something. No matter how much Tony insisted he was safe, she couldn't help but think Loki was just a good actor. After all, wasn't a little too convenient for the villain to land right at Stark's feet? Right when Tony was going through a "downward spiral" as the media put it. Pepper could bet all the company's stock that Tony was drunk off his ass when Loki arrived.

Wasn't it all to fishy to Tony? Why hadn't it raised a red flag?

Oh wait, because Tony didn't care. He was a different person than a year ago; his broken fragments of heart was starting to show. Even though her leaving him was the final push to Tony's break down, he was still changing months before. She remembered waking up some nights to him screaming in his sleep, lashing out, acting as if he was trying to reach for something. A couple of times she had been hit, but she dismissed it as Tony was deep asleep. But it worried her.

As time progressed, he seemed distant. Lost in thought, a tired look coming over his face. Soon he became a little depressed, losing care for most things in life. And though Pepper tried really hard to cheer him up, and though he put a smile on his face, she knew it was in vain. Though Tony said he loved her, she couldn't help but doubt it. How could he love her if he didn't love himself? Or would he really love her when everything in life he smiled about was a lie?

The media didn't help. Stories of Tony's one night stands resurfaced, pictures along with them. She at first knew they weren't true, all gossip from long before _them_ but she let it dig into her. She became paranoid and coupled with her fears of losing him in a super hero battle AND his lack of care, it became too much. She started drifting away from him too. Eventually she met someone new, and she couldn't help but run to him instead. He felt _real_ and he was on solid ground. She needed that.

"Yes. If you are not up by then, I will make sure JARVIS wakes you up," she cleared her throat. "Then I need you to clean up."

"Why?" he asked.

She bit her lip, finally turning her attention back to Tony. She took in his worn face, his stubble slightly overgrown along with his hair. There was a slight twitch with his thick brow. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and when she actually looked into his eyes, she noticed it. He was thinking, many possible reasons for her requests flying through his head all at once. She could see the confusion in there, none of his theories quite adding up. He looked slightly frustrated as a few moments went by.

He couldn't figure what was going. Perfect.

"Just do it, Tony."

With that, Pepper rose from her seat, beginning her walk to the elevator. Her hills clacked rhythmically against the floor and Pepper could feel both men's gazes on her back. It brought prickles to her back when she realized Loki was watching her, but she shook it off. The creeper would be taken care of soon if her plan worked out well. He wouldn't get the opportunity to even touch Tony, so help her. She would ensure it.

"Oh! And Tony?" she whipped around to face him one last time. "Shave, get a haircut, and put on something nice. Eat some vegetables, you'll need them."

"What? I would never-"

"I'll make sure he does everything, Mrs. Potts." Loki's quiet voice made both of them jump. They hadn't expected him to speak at all. Pepper stood in shock for a moment before tensely nodding and swiftly getting into the elevator. Oh yes, she would make sure her plan worked.

* * *

Within an hour after leaving the towers, Pepper stopped by her new place to make a call. Fortunately it was picked up on the first ring, and she let go a sigh of relief.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! Over 50 follows? I'm so amazed, thank you all! I hope to get this going a little faster so please hold on for the ride! :D**

**Once again, thank you for the support. And, guess what will happen next?**


	11. Seven O'Clock

Two people were in the tower's elevator at seven o'clock sharp in the morning, just as promised.

Pepper stood tall, her posture in it's usual confident state. She smoothed out her skirt to keep up with her usual impeccable appearance and quickly adopted a serious expression. She was here for business and she made sure it showed. The man next to her mirrored her, only he adopted a small smile whereas Pepper's mouth was a thin line of concentration. He quickly wiped a few beads of sweat off his brow, swiping his hand on his classic blue jeans. Jeebers, was this going to be interesting, the man thought.

When Pepper had initially called him, he was right in the middle of working out. However, being the respectable man he was with manners, he ran and picked the phone up right away. He was very surprised to hear Mrs. Pott's voice, and he eagerly told her that. After listening to what Pepper had to say, promising her he was not going to alert SHIELD, he prepared to leave his apartment for good. Pepper had offered him one of the rooms in the tower as a permanent residence. She said it was long overdue, so he took it after she insisted.

So he packed all his things into one suitcase (you'd think after a year he'd collect more possessions), and met Mrs. Potts outside his building. He waved his dingy little space good bye. He wouldn't really miss it anyway; most of his time was spent at the gym or reluctantly with SHIELD.

But now the elevator dinged, symbolizing their arrival on the penthouse floor. With a deep breath, Steve Rogers set foot into the space, bracing himself for what was to come.

* * *

Loki had kept his word, and at about five o'clock, he was knocking at Tony's door. After a few moments of silence he pounded it a couple times with his fist before hesitantly yelling, "Man...of iron?"

No, that didn't quite sound right. He juggled around what else he could possibly call out, something that would sit right on his tongue.

"Stark?"

That was a lot better. For a second he wondered why he even called Stark "Man of Iron". That was Thor's name for the man; he recalled his ex-brother using it a few times before their fight. He found it humorous at the time that the big oaf had the mortal's name so _wrong_ and he laughed mentally at his stupidity. Now though the name brought a pang to his heart. It reminded him too much of the Aesir.

He heard a voice on the inside of the room, loud music, and then the door knob started to twist. Soon Tony's head popped right outside the door frame, eyes slightly red, and a large scowl on his face. He looked like he was ready to kill someone, but Loki knew he wouldn't. The frost giant took a step back anyway, but still tried to keep his cool.

"What the hell do you want?! YOU WOKE ME UP!" Tony shouted, clearly grumpy from being awake so early. He was actually having a decent night sleep; he had only woken once from a nightmare in the middle of the night but that was it.

"The morn has arrived." he said, his voice finally coming out smoothly. Why would it not anyway? It was a saying he was so used to hearing, something Frigga would tell him and Thor every morning.

"Thank you Shakespeare, now why doth thou taketh thou ass down the hallway and GO BACK TO BED!" Tony snapped. Oh was he grumpy...

"Mrs. Potts requested your presence in two hours."

"How the hell do you know what time it is?!"

"The ceiling told me."

"You mean JARVIS?" Tony asked, sounding more amused now.

"If that is his name, yes. Now please prepare for the day or else I will...have to ask him for help."

With that, Loki looked up pointedly at the ceiling before shakily walking away. That took a lot of guts on his part, and a little bit of stepping out of line. But after spending days with the iron man, he realized Tony didn't care and sometimes he had to have someone tell him what to do. And Tony watched him leave with a smile. He was still tired, but he was happy to finally not have to deal with a cowering Loki.

He still needed details on what happened, but that would have to wait.

* * *

About twenty minutes before seven Tony made his way out into the living area, nearly awake after taking a shower and shaving. He had thrown a plain white button down and some slacks. That was as fancy as he was getting that early in the morning.

Loki was sitting casually at the bar, reading what looked like a thick book. Tony squinted at it as he retrieved his morning black coffee. "Bambi, where'd you get that?"

"JARVIS. He gave me instructions to your library."

"When was that?" Tony grumbled, taking a sip before adding, "And what library?"

"Yesterday afternoon, and a couple floor down." he flipped to the next page. "Can't miss it."

"Wow." He had forgot about that floor. It was a shame he didn't know too much about what was in his own house anymore. If you had asked him about it months ago, he just wouldn't care. But something about Loki knowing more than him about his own place...disturbed him. Not only that, but Tony must be a horrible housekeeper to leave his guest on his own. Especially his ex-genocidal alien villain guest.

"Lokes, remind me to give you a proper tour of the whole tower, kay?"

"Lokes?"

"JARVIS, document that too and remind me of it after lunch."

"Yes sir," the AI said politely. "And Mr. Loki, would you care for a cup of tea?"

The frost giant looked up from his book a moment to smile kindly at the ceiling. It was strange for Tony to see, the "god of mischief" genuinely smiling at his ceiling, but at the same time it was kind of adorable. He couldn't help but smile too and look away.

"Earl Gray please. It tasted lovely yesterday, so I'd love another." Loki said, then turned back to his book once JARVIS turned on the necessary machine.

"You know you don't have to look at the ceiling every time you talk to him." Tony took a seat at the table.

"I don't? Hm, I suppose I'll stop that then."

"Hey, whatever you want to do. You two can continue being besties."

"'Besties'?"

"Best friends. You and JARV are bonding...pretty fast."

"Why is that so surprising?" Loki closed the book and leaned his chin on his hands.

"Well, you know, you're from ass guard-"

"-Asgard-" Loki interrupted, correctly pronouncing the name.

"-and from what I've learned from Thor, it's not the most advanced with technology. I'm surprised you aren't scared and jumping around like a hooligan whenever you hear JARVIS." Tony finished.

"Oh...I did..hide at first. And was quite frightened," Loki said slowly. "But I figured the mortal living in the ceiling is not dangerous, but instead all seeing. Very intelligent too, he knows a lot about Midgardian culture."

Tony couldn't help but laugh at this and Loki tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion.

"No, that's," he managed to calm his laughter down enough to speak, "JARVIS is an AI which means-"

"Sorry to interrupt sir," JARVIS interrupted. "but Mrs. Pepper Potts has announced her arrival."

"Oh shit! I'll explain to you later then, okay?" Tony said hurriedly just as the elevator door came open and he immediately spotted bright blue eyes and blue jeans...

* * *

**A/N: Over 50 followers! Thank you!**

**Hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think of it. Anyway, until next time.**


	12. How dare you

**A/N: Warning: a few choice words on Tony's part. If you do not like the "f-bomb" just skim over. Pretend it's fudge. Carry on.**

"What the EVER-LOVING FUCK?!" Tony was the first to yell, standing to his feet quickly. He almost immediately positioned himself defensively in front of Loki and shifted into a protective stance. Everyone stood in silence, looking each other over. So Tony continued on, "SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCK PEPPER?! YOU KNEW LOKI WAS HERE, AND YOU JUST CASUALLY LET CAPTAIN FUCKING AMERICA WALK IN WITHOUT WARNING?! WHAT IF HE HAD ATTACKED HIM WITHOUT THINKING?!"

Oh Tony was _pissed_. How could Pepper be so careless, letting one of the Avengers just waltz in while Loki was here?

"Tony..." Pepper began, adopting the tone she used when she had an explanation. Tony's eyes widened with realization and his anger exploded.

"Pepper, you TOLD SHIELD?!" he screamed.

"No! I didn't, I would never. You and I both don't trust them completely. No one does, so why would I rely on them?"

"Then why the fuck is he here?"

"Mr. Rogers is not a member of SHIELD, he's an Avenger," she said smoothly, hiding whatever agitation she was developing. "He's a _friend_, Tony. And you need help."

"He is NOT my friend, Pepper," Tony practically snarled. "He's an old obsession of my father's and he's just a generic soldier. If you wanted me to hang out with a friend, you could have called Rhodey!"

Tony inwardly shook his head at her, so upset. She should _know_ him better than that. She was one of his closest friends, ex-girlfriend, CEO of his company. It was no secret that Tony didn't like the super soldier too much. He found him too conservative, old-fashioned, too much of a goody-two-shoes. Those were three things he couldn't stand. But what really sealed the deal and justified his feelings toward Steve would be the fact that his father used to work with him.

His father, the ever distant paternal figure that acted as if he never loved him practically obsessed over the blonde man. He had put so much towards developing Captain America, spent his time smiling over it. But did he ever smile over Tony? No. His father preferred the company of a frozen man to his own flesh and blood. And though he realized his father still loved him, just couldn't show it right, he still felt inadequate. He wasn't as pure as Steve, and he sure as hell had more problems. Not only did his father try to make him a carbon copy of himself, but he wanted Tony to be as great as Steve. And sadly, it just wasn't who Tony was.

"Rhodey can't babysit you." Pepper snapped, patience gone.

"So I'm being _babysat_ now? IS THAT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?" he threw his hands up. "YOU FINALLY REALIZED YOU WEREN'T DOING A GOOD JOB, THAT YOU WERE IGNORING ME, SO YOU FINALLY HIRED OFF SOMEONE TO DO YOUR JOB?"

"What?" Pepper knit her eyebrows together, caught off guard.

"Don't you DARE deny the fact that it TOOK A FUCKING GENOCIDAL KILLER IN MY HOUSE FOR YOU TO START PAYING ATTENTION TO ME AGAIN!"

"Tony-"

"NO! YOU LEFT ME PEPPER! YOU LEFT ME BY MYSELF TO ROT IN THIS PLACE! YOU'VE ONLY BEEN HERE TWICE A MONTH BEFORE THIS AND YOU BARELY SAID A WORD." he was yelling so loud and crazily, his voice was starting to go raw. "You know what? GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE YOU HERE ANYMORE! I'm just DONE!"

"Tony Stark!" Came a new voice, one belonging to Steve Rogers. He had stepped in front of Pepper, gently tapping her shoulder, signaling he was taking over her side of the argument. Pepper looked close to tears, and it deeply disturbed the Captain. He was so used to seeing her so strong and tough, made of stone. Ms. Potts reminded him of a woman he knew long ago.

Tony's attention was shifted to the blonde, already fired up. He had forgotten Steve was in the room, but he looked ready to put on his suit and fight anyway. Steve took a calming breath, trying his best not to look threatening.

"Tony, I'm here to help you," he began. "because you need help. Pepper told me everything you told her. She was worried for your well-being and I agree. She was going to turn to Bruce, but the Hulk was too much to risk at the moment. So I'm staying here."

"And SHIELD?" Tony said through his teeth, still seething.

"I don't trust them. Not since New York." came Cap's reply.

"We are NOT friends. So I KNOW you aren't doing this out the kindness of your virgin heart," Tony glared. Then he gave him a fake smile, not at all friendly. "Oh wait. You're Star Spangled Patriot. Of course it's from your heart."

"Yes. I care about my team," Steve replied, letting out another sigh. "But if it makes you feel better, I will be moving in. Into a room here."

"Of course." Tony said.

The two stared at each other. Tony's gaze was hostile, antagonizing, asking for more explanation. Steve's was a lot more pleading, wishing he would just be open to him helping keep him safe from any surprise attacks from Loki. There were no ill intentions in the captain's blue eyes and it made Tony all the more upset. Why was there nothing wrong with the man? All he saw in Steve was what everyone wanted him to behave like and he bristled at the thought. Why couldn't he simply be like him?

But then he felt a cool hand on his arm, traveling slowly up to rest on his shoulder. It was a hesitant, cautious movement ment to comfort him. And surprisingly, Loki's hand resting on his shoulder did calm him down. Somehow, he was happy to have Loki there. It was amazing how similar the two seemed, Tony noted. They both were troubled individuals surrounded by expectations they felt they couldn't live up to. Loki's Thor was like Tony's Steve. It was obvious how Loki was jealous of Thor before and during the attack on New York. In a way, it was also obvious how Tony was jealous of Steve.

Somehow Tony didn't feel so alone and betrayed with Loki's hand on his shoulder.

"I-It's fine if you are to reside in the t-towers, Captain Rogers." Loki slowly mumbled, keeping his gaze anywhere but anyone's faces. "Mr. Stark is just overwhelmed. I once again apologize for my intrusion."

Steve watched the villain evenly before slowly nodding his head.

"Geez, Lokes. You can't just give a part of my place away like that." Tony said in a slight joking tone, but everyone could imply otherwise. The frost giant shrunk a little at that. "But fine. I'll show you to your room, Cap'."

"See you around, Captain Rogers," Loki said, taking his hand off Tony's shoulder and heading down the hall to hide out in his room. "Goodbye Ms. Potts."

The three watched as he slipped into his room and gently closed the door. Then they heard the _click_ of the door lock, the low timbre of JARVIS' voice, and something heavy scraping against the floor. Whatever it was, it was pushed against the door as there was a slight bang.

The three gave each other skeptical looks. Steve had a sinking feeling that things were going to be very awkward.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, so much language! So long! So much OOC! I'm sorry. I'm going to bump up the rating, but only for the language in this chapter. So don't worry, nothing too graphic will be going on any time soon. (:**


	13. After Thoughts

So...Tony's reaction had caught Loki off guard. Really. Loki had no clue Stark was such a ball of pent up burning rage and that he would explode. Though he could justify most of the anger toward Pepper, the rest was questionable. Nevertheless though, he had tried to calm the man down, it worked, and he was able to run away. The frost giant figured it was the perfect time to stay low, especially with another avenger in the towers.

Steve Rogers. Captain America.

He would admit he was surprised with the selection Pepper had made to watch his every move. But at the same time, who else could be there? Bruce Banner was a near perfect choice with a steely calm, but the hulk was another deal. It was too much of a risk for Pepper, so she moved on to the next. Clint Barton? Natasha Romanov? They both were part of SHIELD. That was a definite no.

There was Thor...Loki mentally cringed. His ex-brother wouldn't have accepted the invitation if he found out Loki was at the towers. Their fight was still fresh and the big oaf would want to avoid any additional stress. On top of that he had no time to watch over a mortal and make sure he wasn't drunk while Loki took advantage of that. Not saying Loki would, but everyone silently believed he would make that move. No, Thor had to help manage Asgard.

So that left one more person which was Steve. The supersoldier was strong enough to keep Loki at bay if needed; he had exhibited that skill many times before. From what Loki could guess the captain was also a calm guy, well, if not angered like Bruce. Steve didn't have a hulk though.

But his presence still uneased him. Just like Tony, Steve was a prior enemy of his, and Loki was expecting the soldier to try to get revenge. Stark may not have beaten him to a pulp yet, but would Rogers? What exactly was the man's full personality anyway? He didn't know, and that bothered him. What was under the surface? Was he really just an all-around, good, pure intent guy?

Loki had locked his door and pushed a spare chair in front of it. With that he sunk down in it, pulling his knees to his chest and taking a breath. He looked around his room warily. It had become somewhat comfortable over his stay, but it still felt foreign to him. But he rather be in it that outside at the moment. People were dropping their shit.

He wanted to know what had happened in the span of time that he left. What exactly went down between Pepper and Tony and when did the latter become so bitter? He had noticed the iron man to have a bit darker heart. Of course he would pick up on that. It wasn't just the fact that it was early either. Something just wasn't working and Stark was falling apart from it.

"JARVIS," Loki asked the ceiling, "Is there any way for you to serve food in here?"

"Yes sir, but I don't advise it. Be social."

"I don't believe that's safe, sir."

* * *

Steve had settled himself on the couch, balancing a sketchpad on his lap, a pencil in hand. Pepper had left hours ago; it was now past one o'clock. Tony had retreated to his workshop after getting into another argument with Steve. The captain could hear the faint hum of music, still hard and jarring. The iron man obviously wasn't done with his tantrum and the captain let out a heavy sigh.

Couldn't they just get along? What was Tony's problem with him?

Ever since they met things had been rocky between the two. Of course at the attack they eventually calmed down to a neutral to get the job done. They stayed in a pretty safe zone the couple of times they had to work together right until the time Pepper left Tony. Things just got ugly between them again; in truth it got ugly with everyone. Tony was just not the same without Pepper keeping his life fully balanced. Stark became a lot more irritable, distant, and really didn't care too much about most things.

It had bothered everyone on board the team, and Fury even made a plan to intervene. But after a couple of battles where the iron man was fighting a bit aggressively probably to let off some steam or to get the job done faster so he could go home, Fury stayed quiet. It was more "efficient" but Steve really wasn't surprised Fury wasn't into Tony's actual well-being.

Steve slowly sketched out the skyline, something he did quite often. He was getting better at his art, and he wished he could show someone. He really wanted to draw for a friend, anything, but he didn't really have any. He felt alone most of the days, surrounded by many acquaintances, but barely close. Even though he was usually complimented on his kindness and manners, he didn;t have anyone. He was still out of touch both socially and time wise. He missed the old days, his old friends, Peggy, everything. He'd trade anything to be able to go back in time and not feel so foreign in his own country.

He repositioned his track of thought over to Loki. The Asgardian had looked so different to him. The bulky armor was gone, yes, his hair was longer, of course, but that wasn't all. He had a completely different posture, one that didn't scream arrogance. No, he positioned himself humbly and kept his gaze down. And he was skittish, Steve had watched him jump and shiver as the air rippled with tension. Loki had ran back to his room and locked the door.

Something was off about him. Steve was halfway ready to believe something horrible did happen to Loki to make him act that way. Something bad would only bring a man like him to his knees. But the other half of his reasoning stopped him from getting his guard down. After all, that was how Loki attacked them the first time.

* * *

**A/N: A lot better. No screaming OOC goodness. Enjoy.**


	14. Like a Phoenix

Tony was still an emotional wreck, hours after the encounter. He was still an explosion, reacting violently to everything in his workshop. Most of his distraught energy was focused toward working on his many suits, making improvements a little too fast. He had JARVIS crank up the volume as he worked.

_Pepper ripping out his heart then ignoring him until Loki shows up._

He pulled up some plans and re-drew them.

_Then she gets tired of dealing with him and dumps Latex Glove on him._

He tested a few blasters on his wall. Four holes were scorched right into it, light smoke coming out. He ignored JARVIS' inquiry about his tantrum. The AI should know what was upsetting him, damn it! He did live with him after all. He knew everything that went down in the house.

_Steve was just too perfect._

He would never be like him. At least Tony wasn't selling weapons anymore. Stark Industries was going strong with alternative energy.

_He was going through a downward spiral? Ha!_

"I'm not going through any spiral, JARV! Look, I'm fine!" he yelled, mostly to himself of course.

"Sir-"

"Not now!"

He spent the rest of his evening burning off four months worth of hurt, frustration, all the pent-up feelings he had drank away. It all came rushing out at once, a little overwhelming. He managed to get much done through his meltdown and soon he had to come up with new stuff to do. He finished half of that and finally decided to rest. He fell into a fidgety, anxiety filled sleep which he woke up constantly from in the middle of the night. Eventually he managed to stay asleep, his dreams coming down to a manageable level.

* * *

A great breakdown was all Tony needed. He woke up feeling fine, not the best, but better than usual. He went to his room to get ready for the day. After a nice long hot shower he got dressed and headed to his kitchen for his daily black coffee.

He was surprised when he got there. Piling fresh pancakes onto a plate was Steve. The captain had cooked beautiful pancakes, each one looking golden crispy. The smell in the air was wonderful, a mix of the cakes and coffee that the captain had JARVIS brew ahead of time. Tony could feel his mouth water and stood back and watched his guest for a little while longer.

Somehow he had made many pancakes. To the side was an even bigger plate, staked at least a foot high with the food. Where did he even get that much mix, Tony thought. The only food he stored in the kitchen was takeout, canned food, and frozen dinners.

"Hello Tony," Steve said easily, giving him a hesitant half-smile. "Feeling...any better?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go all PMSy on you." Tony said evenly, hoping the apology didn't sound too rough. Steve took it though.

"It's fine. Sometimes we need a good scream."

"Where did you get all the mix for this? And where did you learn how to use a pan? I thought my kitchen was state of the art." he changed the topic, not wanting to get too deep into that. Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes as he flipped a pancake over in the pan.

"We had pans back then, y'know. And stoves."

"Really?" Tony said sarcastically.

"I made the mix myself though," Steve went on, "I went to the store earlier today."

"It's only eight in the morning."

"I know. How are you up?" Steve joked. "I went at six. Finally got back."

With that the captain took out the last pancakes and fumbled with the stove to turn it off. It had also taken him ten minutes and a tutorial from the neighborhood friendly AI for him to get the thing on, but he wasn't going to tell Tony that. It was pretty embarrassing. He took out a plate and put a stack of three cakes onto it before grabbing the syrup. After a slight nod from Tony, he carefully poured the sticky-sweet maple substance over the cake and stepped back for a second to review his work.

It was a true piece of art. Any chef in a fancy renowned restaurant would be jealous of the skill, Tony decided. He almost didn't want to eat it; it was just too pretty. Steve had him sit down at the table and eat it properly with a fork and knife. Maybe having the elder man around wasn't too bad, Tony thought. Mr. Face of America could sure cook a mean breakfast.

"So, have you seen Loki?" Steve asked tentatively, hovering around the stack of pancakes.

"No. Not since yesterday." Tony shoved a piece of cake into his mouth, the food melting on his tongue.

"Does he always stay holed up in his room?" Steve asked again with the same tone.

"Eh. He's like a cat." he shrugged. "He did come out yesterday though."

Tony inwardly frowned, a bit concerned with Loki for the first time that morning. He halfway forgot he was even there. Had Tony's outburst scarred the poor guy? Loki wasn't in the most stable mental condition either, even worse than Tony he'd bet. Oh no.

"JARVIS," he said. "Can you get Loki to come out here for breakfast? He needs to interact like a normal person would."

"Sure thing."

"Well! Looks like we'll have bonding time. We might as well play chest or uno. I think I have a stack somewhere."

"Is he always so quiet?" Steve asked, but before Tony could answer Loki padded in. He hesitantly stopped a few times, turning slightly as if he wanted to run away. But eventually he made it to the two men.

"Hey Lokes," Tony said with a smile. "Want some pancakes? They are really good. Better than any restaurant in this city."

The captain beamed at Tony's words and quickly got together a plate for the frost giant. Loki quietly sat down, looking like an awkward turtle at the table. Steve joined them shortly afterwards with a sizeable amount on his plate and seated right across from Loki. It made the latter flinch.

"I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday." Tony said after a long awkward pause. Loki simply nodded.

"It's fine."

Another awkward pause at the table. Steve fidgeted, Loki tried to blend into the shadows, and Tony just watched the two.

"So," he said lazily. "what now?"


	15. Next

The towers had settled into some strange calm over the next week. The three had formed a daily routine which was followed pretty well. They would wake up to Steve cooking a breakfast for them. They'd sit at the table, exchange small talk, and move on to whatever they wanted to do for the day. Tony usually went back to sleep then woke around lunch to work in his workshop. Steve would go outside to walk to a park. He'd play basketball with locals, work out, draw, whatever he could to stay active.

Loki would usually blend into the shadows and sulk. Of course he also did things like read, listen to music JARVIS played for him, and watch Steve draw on the couch from afar. He eventually got himself into chess. The frost giant had found a lovely glass set which he would play by himself in his room. But after a few times where he played alone, JARVIS informed Tony, and soon the engineer joined Loki for games. They played almost daily in Loki's room. Tony believed it got his guest to open up towards him just a little more.

Dinner was also always eaten together. They were having more home cooked meals now that Steve lived with them, and they didn't mind. Loki actually welcomed it. As much as takeout seemed convenient, it was often greasy and salty. Steve's dishes were the opposite. They were usually light on the tongue, the flavor rich. It reminded him of Frigga's cooking and he imagined the two exchanging recipes.

* * *

"I'm finished." Tony said as he repositioned himself back on the floor. The chessboard in front of them was nearly empty; they only had a few pieces left. The iron man watched as Loki claimed his king and he lost the game. He shrugged and gave Loki a small smile. He was _good_ at the game, and an excellent challenger.

"Stark," his guest mumbled as he set the king at his side. He continued speaking after Tony gave him a small nod. "Do you miss your father?"

Tony blinked, taken aback by the question. He didn't expect that from Loki - how did he even know about that?

"Of course...yeah. Even though we had our crap going down..."

"Oh."

"Where'd you hear about my dad?"

"I read about it. JARVIS gave me these magazines and you were in them."

That explained it. Though the blasted things were so filled with gossip and usually only half-true.

"Do you miss yours?" Tony asked back. "Even though Odin - that's his name right? - is still pissed, right?"

"Odin isn't my real father actually," Loki said, practically spitting the first word as if it was vile on his tongue.

"Oh yeah," Tony said, remembering snippets of information from the past. "Thor told us you were adopted."

After a moment where Loki was unresponsive, Tony cleared his throat. "Do you know who your real father is?"

"...Yes. H-He left me in the cold to die when I was just born."

They were approaching more iced-over ground, and Tony was scared he might shatter it. It was sad the way Loki would bend his head with eyes clouded with so many emotion. Specks of envy, regret, sadness all seemed to be mixed into the deep green that were Loki's eyes. The iron man could even detect a great deal of self-loathing and that made him feel worse.

"Let's listen to mu-" he tried to change the subject but Loki interrupted him.

"I'm fine." he reassured though his tone was definitely _not_ fine. It was halfway choked and low.

"Uh, okay, well that's good!" Tony stumbled over his words. He was not good at comforting people at all. He had no clue what to say or do. Should he pat him on the shoulder? Give him a hug? Grab some water or just walk away? He resorted to hesitantly putting a hand on the taller man's shoulder just like Loki had done during his tantrum. It seemed to help as Loki let out a heavy breath.

"Well, Lokes, if it makes you feel better, I bet that bag of dicks isn't doing so well at the moment!"

"Of course not..." Loki mumbled, keeping his gaze unfocused and but eyes aimed at his feet. "...I killed him."

Shit. Tony mentally slapped himself. That was _not_ something he should have said. And he felt bad for considering his own daddy issues horrible. He did not know what exactly went down between Loki and his real father, but it was definitely worse than Tony pining over his father not giving him enough attention.

"Well! I think we need to get out the house."

"What?" Loki finally looked Tony in the eyes, confusion all over his face. It was an abrupt change in thought for him.

"Let's get out of here! I haven't been out the tower since you came. Only Spangles has, and it's sad that the old man is getting more time outside than I am!"

He jumped up and pulled on Loki's arm until he was on his feet too. "It's only a couple of hours past twelve! We can have a girls night out, Lokes!"

"We aren't female-"

"We could go shopping, clubbing, shopping while we are clubbing! I'm Tony freaking Stark, we can whatever we want!"

The iron man enthusiastically dragged the Asgardian out to the living room to meet up with the captain resting on the sofa. Though at first his "sudden energy" was faked just for Loki's sake of cheering up, it soon turned genuine for him as he explained a plan to Steve.

* * *

"Capsicle! We can have good old bonding time! First we can go over and shop some, get some new clothes," Tony waved his hand as Steve started piping up about budgets. "All expenses are on me because I have money growing out my toes. Don't worry about any pricing!"

"That's kind of you, Tony, but I really think I should at least pitch in-"

"No! Stop trying to be polite, I got this. We can head on over to a park if you want after hitting some stores. Then we can go to a few clubs."

"Gee, that's swell, but Tony-"

"Close your virgin mouth! It'll be fun," Tony reassured. Steve just looked shocked and frightened at the thought of them even going near a club. "We just dance a little, have some drinks, and come home! Boom! Simple."

"Okay, Tony. Just...no girls or fonduing or anything nasty."

"Fondue?" Tony chuckled. "Fine. But only if it's not too late."

"And... are you okay with all of this, Loki?" the blonde turned to him, raising an eyebrow at the man quietly sitting next to him on the couch. Steve gave him a slightly pleading look, hoping he'd also decline the part about going to a club. But Loki just nodded, throwing his opinion in to satisfy the two.

"I'm fine. I really haven't explored the more social part of Midgard in a long time. I guess...it'll be entertaining."

"Oh yeah! Loki knows how to have fun!" Tony shouted, a wide smile on his face. "I'm going to call up Happy."

Steve frowned but slowly nodded.

"Hey, Spangles," Tony said as he started to call Happy. "At least it's just a club. Next time we should go to a strip club. A _male_ one."

He winked and Steve blushed cherry red.


	16. Shop til' we drop

"I don't know about this though, Stark." Loki said as Tony eagerly started pushing him towards the elevator.

"What? Don't tell me your going to be a lame old prude like Cap, Lokes." Tony ignored the captain's quick, "I heard that!" from across the room. Instead he focused on Loki, giving him an easy smile.

"No, it's not that." Loki reassured. "I just think I'll be recognized."

"Oh...yeah." Tony blinked. He had forgotten that the rest of the world still hated Loki for his attack a year ago, and they weren't aware of his current situation. There would be plenty of paparazzi, police, and angry citizens on their hands once Loki was recognized. That wasn't good. SHIELD would be all over Tony's ass within minutes. He frowned for a second, thinking of what they could do.

"I think I know how I can fix that," he said, then dragged Loki off to the direction of the community clothes box. He quickly rifled through the thing before taking out a few pairs of sunglasses. He handed a black pair to his guest. "Put that on. I'm sure they'll still think you're familiar though. We'll get you a hair while we're out, if that's okay."

"My...hair?" Loki replied, already putting on the glasses.

"Yeah. It's getting a little too long, don't you think?"

Loki supposed that was true by Midgardian standards. The black locks of his were well past his shoulders and a little too wavy. It was getting pretty heavy and a fresh haircut would be nice.

"Fine," he said after a few moments of Tony looking eagerly at him. "But-"

"You know what? You'll be fine Lokes." the iron man patted his shoulder reassuringly. Then he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small metal object. "You know what? Here, hold on to this."

Loki stretched open his hand and the shorter man pressed the small object right into his palm. It was a comfortable warm thing bent in a peculiar oval. It didn't look lethal, so he guessed it wasn't a weapon of any sort.

"This is a paperclip, Lokes. It's a creature usually used to hold paper together. However, I found this one all alone and sad. I guess he just didn't have any paper to hold or a family." The frost giant listened to every word intently, sympathy for the paperclip growing in his eyes. It was so cute, Tony thought. He was almost like a small child. "I was taking care of him for a while, but I think you'll do a better job of it. How about you keep him safe while we're out?"

"I-I - thank you, Stark. I don't think I'm worthy-"

"Shh! You'll do fine."

"T-thank you. I shall perform to my greatest potential." Loki stood straighter, attempting to look determined. He held the clip tight to his chest and nodded.

"Thank you." Tony smiled.

* * *

The trio were picked up by Happy minutes later. Steve and Tony chatted with the driver casually, while Loki kept himself unnoticeable as possible. It was normal behavior for him, and luckily Happy didn't say much about it. Instead he drove them on to a lovely shopping center near a boardwalk before pulling off. Tony eagerly led the way to the first store. It was an upscale shop for men's formal wear.

In there he insisted on buying everyone a new suit. He had to scold Steve a few times about being extremely frugal ("Jesus Cap! I'm a _billionaire, _everything in here is pocket change for me! Just pick whatever you want!") but eventually the captain opened up.

After spending a good two hours trying things on, the men finally checked out. Loki had picked out a couple of suits that were slightly similar to the one he wore in Germany. He had even found a couple of scarves to go with them that were soft earthly tones. Tony had thrown in a tie for him with a tiny skull pattern on it as a joke; Loki couldn't help but roll his eyes. Steve stuck with more classic suits, nothing too eccentric. He still insisted on staying basic and paying for at least a portion of his new additions to his wardrobe. He payed only twenty dollars of the four hundred rung up for his clothes.

Tony just bought himself more ties in many different patterns in the end. He figured he could just get a custom one made later.

They moved on to three more stores, buying a pretty decent amount of stuff. They had to get Happy to put most of their shopping bags in the trunk though. It filled up most of the space, and Steve suggested they go home and rest. Of course Tony waved his hand and told him the night didn't even begin!

He took Loki to a barber shop and got his hair cut. Really it was just trimmed back to the middle of his neck, just about the length he had before Thor got himself banished. Tony gave him a whistle once he was done.

"Lookin' good, Lokes." Loki couldn't help but smile.

They hit about ten more stores. The captain and the iron man noticed Loki picked out loads of leather. Pants, jackets, belts, all made of leather. Not that Tony was complaining, hey, Loki had a body for it. He could wear it if he wanted to. But he still found it interesting. Steve just shrugged and suggested it was because of Asgardian fashion or just preference. Tony just agreed. Steve himself piled on simple things, nice and classic. It was just their styles.

* * *

Once their round of shopping until they dropped concluded, Tony suggested they eat then head towards a club. Steve groaned, still not wanting to go anywhere near one.

They got a quick bite from a hotdog stand before heading on out to a nice place. It was a newer club, upscale, one Tony had yet to go to. The building had a few neon lights out in front, a bouncer guarding the door, and a few women walking in.

Somehow Tony ended up having a night out with two unlikely people. To his left was the straightest virgin prude on the planet. To his right, an ex-genocidal medieval alien with so many family issues he could write off a sitcom about it. And smack dab in the middle of the trio was Tony Stark himself, a drunkard genius with a few screws undone himself. Oh yes, this was going to be an _interesting_ night. He hoped he had enough Advil for the morning.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the lovely reviews! They make writing this so much more fun.**

**And I'm glad someone mentioned the paperclip! Haha, I haven't forgotten about the little bugger. He'll be important later. (;**

**Anyway, have a nice day. I'll update soon.**


	17. Round One

Tony had made quick work of getting them both in. He tipped off a few people in order to get Loki in without an i.d. Once they stepped into the dark room, it seemed as if the party just started. Neon lights flickered on all across the room, showing silhouettes of people dancing. The music was so loud, it vibrated the whole room, serving as a heartbeat for the party. Tony immediately mingled in with the rest of the dancers, simply telling them the bar was in another room. They followed his pointed finger.

It was indeed in another room, this one filled with dim light. The music was faded into the background, and they could hear each other speak. They took a seat on a couple of stools in front of the bar. A kind bartender who looked a little too young nodded his blonde head at them before running off to complete orders.

The two sat in awkward silence, listening to the muffled words of the music. Steve seemed lost in his own head, faraway worry sketched over his face. Loki was off in his own imagination, but he noticed the foreign expression on the captain's face.

"Steven, I don't understand," Loki began, finger twitching a little. "Why don't you buy yourself a drink? Drown whatever's bothering you away like other men?"

"Because I can't." the captain responded, a dark and lost look growing.

"I wouldn't think less of you if you did."

"It's not that, Loki." Steve sighed. "I just can't. I can't physically get drunk. I tried."

That started a long of silence. Loki simply looked down to the floor, the gravity of Steve's statement sinking in. Steve couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. He didn't like making anyone feel unpleasant, especially over something about him.

"Well, everyone has their demons." Steve finally said, and took some money out of his pocket. He paid for a couple of drinks and slid one over to Loki. "Only one by the way. I don't want a second Tony running around."

"What happened?" Loki said after he took a hesitant sip of the liquid. It tasted horrible, much more bitter than any Asgardian spirit he was used to. He only took a few more sips out of kindness; he didn't want to completely waste the horrible thing.

"Nasty, isn't it?" Steve joked before moving on to the more serious matter. "It's a long story."

"We have time." Loki said.

"Fine."

The captain began his story of how he became Captain America. He described the time period, what he was like before the serum, and the procedure that changed his life. He told of the brilliant minds behind it and then moved on to him fighting the enemy. The whole time Loki listened and nodded his head, following the events easily. He imagined everything happening to Steve and understood where he was coming from. Steve quickly wrapped up Bucky's death and waking up in the twenty-first century with SHIELD.

"And then I was called to duty again. I met up with the rest of the Avengers and here we are." Steve finished up with a sad smile before gulping down half of his drink. Everything had happened so fast for Steve that he was finally really catching up with it. The familiar setting reminded him of a night where he tried so hard to forget everything, at least for a night.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine now. Why did you do it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I-I..." Loki began, nervously twitching. He didn't want to talk about that, at least not yet. "A lot happened. I was just angry and jealous."

"Oh." Was all Steve said in reply.

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't do it again. SHIELD might get their hands on you, and you don't want that."

"I'm lucky I didn't land in any of their premises."

"True." Steve said, waiting for him to elaborate.

"I don't remember too much about the night I arrived at the towers, Steven. But," Loki pushed the glass away. "Thor is responsible for it."

"Thor?"

"Yes. I spent a good amount of time sitting in a cell. Odin said it was so I could cool down, and once all my negative energy was gone, I could rejoin their ranks. I knew it was too kind of the old man back then," Loki's voice grew rough. "The old man changed his mind. He changed my sentence to time on Midgard as a mortal. I'm supposed to learn love and humility, then I'll be sent back to Asgard. He had Thor personally 'escort' me. He knew we had a huge fight, but he did it anyway. Thor probably purposely threw me there and Odin was okay with everything."

"So, he took all your magic?"

"Yes. He'll give it back upon my return to Asgard...but I don't want to return. I'll just get it back on my own."

"What a douche! Damn, worse parent of the year award!" came Tony's voice.

Both Steve and Loki jumped at Tony's sudden appearance. It had caught them both off guard and they forgot they were in a place where anyone could listen in on their conversation.

"Thanks...Stark?" he replied, not sure if he was drunk or not.

The iron man perched himself on the stool on the other side of Loki. His hair was slicked back with sweat and he looked slightly out of breath. He quickly wiped some sweat from his forehead before grabbing Loki's drink and downing it quickly. He put the empty glass back in its place before turning towards his companions.

"Woah! I like danced my ass off, and I'm finally getting my first glass! Usually I can't see my toes by now."

"Stark, that was...my drink." Loki said, raising an eyebrow. There was no way Tony wasn't drunk.

"I know. A little too bitter, I don't imagine you as a beer man." Tony said before chatting off about different types of alcohol and personalities. He was talking too fast and excitedly for either of his companions to follow, so they just drowned him out.

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, Loki." Steve said quietly, not wanting Tony to know they were ignoring him. "Me and Tony can see a lot of emotional things have gone down for you. If we were in the same circumstances, we'd feel the same way."

"But I'm _not _a good person, Steven. Don't convince yourself that I'm the hero." he mumbled. "I really _am_ bad and a _monster_."

"No, you're wrong, Loki." Steve insisted. "You're not a bad person. You've just been pushed to do bad things."

"But I'm still not a good person."

"No. You're just Loki." Steve agreed, wrapping up their conversation.

And Loki couldn't help but think about that. _Just Loki_. Was he neither black or white, just in the middle? Or was that just something the Midgardians were starting to convince themselves of? But then again, they didn't know the full story of his life. Loki hadn't told Tony about his true heritage, how he was a completely different species from Thor.

"Oh uhm, I don't know. Fine, if you...insist ma'am." Loki was interrupted from his thoughts by Steve's hesitant voice. The blonde had that same scared-nervous expression he wore when Tony first suggested the club. It was kind of comical now as a young lady was pulling on his arm. She brushed her brown curls out her eyes, giving him an eager smile. "Come on, just one dance!"

"Get some Steve!" Tony yelled, making cat calls when Steve turned toward him for some help. Loki just shrugged his shoulders, not quite sure what the big deal was. One dance with a lady wouldn't hurt. Finally the blonde gave up and followed the girl out to the dance floor.

Tony and Loki were left alone.


	18. Round Two

"Let's have a real drink, kay' Lokes?" Tony asked after a moment of silence between the two. "Ready for round two?"

"Round two? Of what?" Loki asked and couldn't help but return the smile Tony was giving him. The iron man looked like a child who was just given candy. A playful glint was in his eyes and Loki couldn't help but feel it flowing into his own mood.

"Bonding, talking about our past, crying on each other over it, and so on." Tony rolled his eyes and waved his hand as if dismissing it. "Cap' was pretty deep, yeah. But I'm fun. If you hang out with me, we have the best times in the world. That's something you can't get from spangling spandex."

"And what is your definition of 'fun', Stark? Enlighten me."

"How bout' we start with some shots, see how much you can take?"

"Mm, tempting," Loki said, actually taking a moment to think it over. "But I think we should listen to Steven and not get carried away. Being too drunk to see him would be problematic."

"You're assuming I would get drunk from it," Tony countered, crossing his arms. "Which I assure you, with all the drinking I do, _I won't_."

"That does not make any sense! You were drunk before!" the frost giant's tone rose but playful still.

"No, I wasn't! I was just-"

"Intoxicated. You shouldn't do that."

"Oh please, I'm Tony Stark!"

"And you're point?"

"I can do _anything_. Holding some bubbly drinks in is the least of my abilities. I fight crime a lot!" He waved over the bartender. "Hey, give me the best you got, shot glasses, and a lime. I'm going to show Lokes here that I can handle myself."

Before long a tray of shot glasses were in front of them. A nice ripe lime was sitting sliced open at the edge of the tray. Tony looked at it, slightly impressed at the speed of the tender. He deserved a tip for that.

"Well, you going to join me or just watch me like a wallflower?" The iron man asked, taking a shot then sucking on a slice of lime. "Good beer. Lots of fun you're missing out on, y'know."

"You're stupid." Loki chuckled, watching him, quite amused for a moment. "But please. How about you take one more and call it a day?"

"Fine. Only cause you're being a wimp. We're still drinking though."

* * *

It was countless more, Loki couldn't recall the number at all.

All he knew was one hour Tony and him were jesting around and the next they were on the dance floor. Somehow the mortal found a way to talk and use a clever tongue to distract the frost giant from watching his intake. The poor ex-villain had let his guard down so much and was so carried away, he didn't notice Tony was drunk until he stumbled over to the door. Loki himself had sipped a little bit of alcohol in that amount of time, so he wasn't exactly intoxicated. There was faint buzz at the back of his mind, slightly slowing down his thought process. It wasn't enough to render him useless in making decisions though, so he should have known better.

He was trying to catch up with Tony who had weaved his way around so easily and was now dancing like a madman. After avoiding a few stranger's limbs, Loki finally managed to grab ahold of the iron man.

"Stark! We're going back to the bar now, okay? We are going to wait for Steven's return then we'll go on home." he yelled over the music.

"Dude, Steve totally got laid. Hey guys! Steve's probably not a virgin anymore! Ohhhh!" Tony screamed, getting a few claps in return from strangers. "My old baby is finally growing up."

He wiped a fake tear from his eye and Loki couldn't help but roll his own eyes. "Stark. We need to go."

"Sorry, babe, but I rather dance. Why don't we just dance, Lokes? Dance and have more stuff to drink?"

"Well, that's exactly why I want you to come back with me." Loki said, taking a different route of persuasion. He hoped his skills in talking did not get too rusty over the year he spent in isolation. It seemed to work just fine then as Tony's eyes widened.

"Really?" he asked, voice heavily slurred.

"Really. Just you and me, drinking heartily and making merry."

"Cause' we're bros now."

"...Right."

Loki held out his hand and Tony eagerly took it. The frost giant let out a sigh of relief, pleased with how that turned out. He started pulling Tony back towards the bar, weaving around people. But then the music changed, the beat stronger and faster. A few shrill screams could be heard and soon more people were getting on the dance floor, packing the place up tight.

The dancers swayed back and forth like an unbroken horse, and soon Loki was jostled away from Tony. The music picked up, tempo much faster and bass resonating. Strobe lights went off all around him, causing him to be disoriented. Before long he found himself in a huddle of females. The were clearly drunk as their movements were too off balance and one even danced by waving a bottle around in the air. Loki certainly preferred the company of the iron man over a bunch of drunken vixens so he started edging his way on out. He was not fast enough. Before he made it a foot out the way, one grabbed his arm and pulled him back in. The girl flicked her curly flame-colored hair out her eyes before giving him her best seductive smile and dancing towards him. It was probably just her red hair, as nothing else resembled her, but the girl reminded him of the black widow and his stomach churned.

He held out his hands in the universal signal for "stop" once she tried to get close to him. She did just that and the seductive look faltered. The music finally calmed down then, leaving a small five minute break for commercials and food. The other women walked away, giggling and pointing over his shoulder in a drunken manner. Loki let out a relieved breath, happy he could search for Stark now without any more trouble. The drunk shorter man was probably just wandering around looking for him. He hoped he could find him without too much conflict.

However, the red-head stopped him from going anywhere. When he tried to walk away again, she put a hand on his arm and he gritted his teeth. He didn't have time to flirt with some random Midgardian!

"I haven't seen you around here before. You're new?" she asked, resuming her former smile.

"Yes. I'm here with my friends, one of which I need to find." he said, wiggling his arm as a warning in her hand.

"Well, maybe we can hook up later-"

"I'm not interested." he snapped, his patience out. He jerked his arm away and glared. She let out a sigh, her expression cracking once again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Loki said. "I'm not interested, I apologize. I must find my friend now."

She heaved a large breath again, her whole composure slipping. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, gaze slipping to the floor. She bit her lip nervously and her hands flitted around her as if she didn't know what to do. It was such a dramatic change from the woman keen on getting his attention before. Loki felt a pain of guilt, wondering if she had low confidence and he just shattered her only hope of taking risks. But he had to go, so he swallowed whatever other thoughts he had about it.

"Sir," she began as he turned heel for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Can you please do me a favor?"

He raised his eyebrow, willing her to continue and swiftly.

"Look, I'm the daughter of the owner of the club, okay? And see, I work here and sometimes my friends to party and stuff," she said hurriedly. Loki had no clue where she was going with it. "And they like all have boyfriends, yeah? And they really, really, really want me to ask out guys and get one too! And they've pushed me and made a bet I wouldn't get anyone's number this week. So yeah, I've spent all night doing just that, but I really don't want to anymore."

"Then...do not? Your honor is not at too much of a risk if you have a week left. Rest and continue tomorrow. I'm sure other men will be interested."

"But that's the thing! I don't want guys to be interested! I don't like men! At all!" she threw her hands up in the air, her mane of hair tossing every which way. "I'm a lesbian, damnit!"

Loki blinked, still not quite sure what she was getting it. Her situation seemed like a simple fix to him. Either she simply tell everyone she was homosexual and to drop it, or she could just find a male to cover it up. The former would be the most simple and straightforward. He had no clue what Midgardian culture was like towards the subject, but on Asgard, though not preferred, they wouldn't bat an eye at that.

"Tell them you're a lesbian then."

"You're right. I will."

"Then why did you need to ask me?" his eye twitched.

"I needed someone to tell first!" she huffed. "Coming out isn't easy, especially when I got no other friends who aren't pushing me towards men. But first, give me a fake number."

She held out her wrist and shoved a pen into his hands. He looked stupidly, not quite understanding what she meant by 'fake number'. He didn't know...any fake numbers?

"Just write seven zeroes."

He did so without question, not wanting to seem too alien. "I must go now."

"I can help you, y'know. For helping me."

"Sure." Loki said, not really caring and wanting to get a move on. He turned and started walking, not caring if she trailed behind him or not. Of course, she found some way to keep up with his long strides. "Hey!" she yelled, tugging on his sleeve to stop him for a second.

"What?" he snapped, thoroughly annoyed. He hoped she had a good reason-

"Aren't you going to tell me what he looks like so I can find him?"

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, I'm not adding any major OCs. Don't worry, the plot is moving on. Don't worry, I'm not going to focus on how society views homosexuality. Don't worry, Tony isn't grinding on anyone or anything.**

**Don't worry, Steve...might get laid? Ha I doubt it.**

**Thanks for the reviews! They're funny, helpful, and thoughtful! I enjoy them. Thanks. (:**


	19. Get Lucky

Tony was really enjoying himself. Really.

He had found himself in a nice corner of the club, nicely dancing with a group of excited women who really knew how to party. They were very flexible, dancing as if they did it for a living. Tony kept up with each move they made though, easily sliding into the beat of the music. He had gone through this kind of routine many times before, so it was easy as breathing air.

Arrive at a club? Check.

Drink to get drunk? Check.

Dance his ass off? Check.

Get laid? In progress.

In his drunken state he had pushed his friends to the back of his brain. A few minutes after he started dancing, his mind went to autopilot and shifted into routine with ease. He forgot that he supposed to stick with the Cap and Loki. No, they were definitely the last thing on his mind as he was in front of some attractive females. Sorry, their wonderfully curvy bodies took priority at that moment. Well, even though Loki was pretty handsome...

Tony got closer to a couple of them and they responded just alike. The three exchanged kisses, a bit of dialogue, and soon were headed for the closest door. Tony had almost reached it when a large body blocked his path. The iron man ran straight into the person and backed away with a frown. He focused his eyes on the blonde glaring down at him.

It was Steve freakin' Rogers.

"Tony," the captain began, eyes totally judging him. "Where are you going?"

"Dudddeee, this isn't cool." Tony slurred, attempting to move him aside. Steve was messing up his groove here. Didn't he have some girl to dance with?

"You're drunk," Steve shook his head, frustration in his voice. "I thought I told you guys not to drink!"

"Mama Murica', that's not my problem. Go away, I'm trying to escort these lovely ladies here out."

"Where's Loki?"

"Low-key?" Tony finally managed to get Steve to scoot aside enough so that he could open the door. "Check the other door, I'm sure it's lower for you."

"Tony-"

"Buh-bye!" And with that Tony rushed out the club with a couple of ladies with his arms. Steve tried to chase after him for a moment before realizing that shouldn't be his priority. He needed to find Loki. God bless the poor ex-villain, he was probably lost or sulking in a corner. The captain let out a sigh before facing the rest of the bustling club. He needed less stress; his back was starting to hurt.

* * *

"You're friends with _Tony Stark_?!" the fire-headed girl shrieked, flailing her arms with excitement. They were perched back at the bar, Loki sipping on a drink to soothe his poor nerves. The two had wandered around, asking people about Tony and trying to find him. They had no such luck (a few men even bumped into him really hard) and after about an hour Loki declared they take a break. The girl had chattered all the way around the club and he was thoroughly annoyed. Though her help was a tad useful as she could get employees to do her bidding, it wasn't worth it.

"Yes." he merely said.

"Oh my GOD!" she shrieked again. "Tony Stark is in the club? Iron man? He helped save the world a year ago, y'know?"

"Yes." Loki said again, looking down at his feet at the mention of the events that took place last year.

"How do you know him?! How did you guys become friends?"

"I broke some of his stuff," Loki took a big gulp of his drink before finally pushing it aside. He didn't want to end up like Stark. "Payed a debt."

"And...what was your name again?"

"What was yours?" Loki asked, avoiding her question.

"Touche. I'm Elizabeth. Liz for short, yeah?"

" 'Yeah'."

"And who are you?"

"Rudolph." Loki said easily, quickly recalling one of the names Tony called him before.

"Lier."

Loki simply gave her a small smile.

* * *

Steve finally decided to head back toward the bar once he did a quick search of the dance floor. No, Loki was trampled underneath anyone, in any corner, or even dancing. The captain doubted the man would be that social anyway. He had only recently opened to the captain after all. The only person the guy seemed to speak to comfortably was Tony. The two were pretty similar and had lived together longer than with Steve.

The captain did a quick look around the room and spotted the familiar black hair. What a relief.

He made his way quickly towards his roommate feeling so relieved that they could finally head _home_. Steve was so out of place in the club setting and his social skills weren't really up to par with the time period. The girl that had dragged him off earlier seemed to think his awkwardness was cute though, and she did give him her cellular phone number. The blonde had hesitantly pocketed it.

"Loki!" Steve called out. Loki nearly jumped in surprise but reflected the cap's own relieved expression.

"Captain Rogers! Stark is missing." Loki said hurriedly, shifting so he could stand up.

"No, it's fine. He left us."

"What?"

"Tony left with some girls earlier." Steve narrowed his eyes. "He was _drunk_."

"I'm aware of his intoxication and take full responsibility for it."

"Loki, I-"

"Your name is Loki?" Liz interrupted, eyes flicking between the two men. Steve didn't even see her. He mumbled a quick greeting to her before jerking his head toward the exit. That was the universal sign for "_let's get out of here"_.

"Goodbye Lady Elizabeth. Thank you for your assistance." Loki quickly said, heading toward the door with Steve right behind him. It only took a few moments for Liz to connect the dots. Pale skin, black hair, cheekbones, a strange way of speaking, strange accent...

"Oh my God, you're the Loki who killed-"

The door slammed shut before she could even finish her sentence.


	20. Reflect on your choices

"I still can't believe how irresponsible this looks!" Steve said, slipping into the cab right next to Loki. He gave the driver directions back to the towers before continuing his mini-rant. "What were you two thinking?! Wait, I already know Tony wasn't thinking anything!"

Loki silently sulked, keeping his gaze out the window to avoid having to look at the captain's frustrated face.

"But I expected you both to still be there when I got back. I mean, you were with him, I trusted at least _you_ would watch everything! You know," he continued, letting the steam out of system, "You have to be more careful! Those girls...you don't know where they're from. They could have some diseases you can never get rid of! Or you could get kidnapped! Or what if that woman recognized you earlier-"

"I'm sorry Steve. My deepest apologies, I won't leave the towers again, and I won't get too comfortable." Loki mumbled quietly. Whatever Steve was going to say next, he dropped that instant. That was the end of his lecturing, at least for Loki. He momentarily forgot how sensitive the frost giant was and how he should take it easy on him.

"It's fine. I'm sorry for just going off there," he sighed. "I was just so worried."

"Oh."

"Well...it's over now. You...still had fun today though, right?" he hoped not all of their day together was not so tragic to the other man.

"The majority," Loki finally faced the blonde. "But Tony abandoning us..."

"Hey. It's not really your fault." the captain clasped his shoulder reassuringly. "Pepper said she could barely keep him down. And Pepper...well, she's a pretty strong person."

The two settled in silence as the cab made it's way slowly through traffic. They watched people pass by on the streets, busy as ever. It was very interesting; no one seemed to ever sleep. While watching a particular group of young adults though, Loki decided to speak again.

"Steven..."

"Yes?"

* * *

Tony woke up to an empty bed and a pounding headache. Just like usual, he concluded, waiting for his vision to sharpen. The lights in his room turned on when he heaved himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He took a nice hot shower, some medicine for his head, and got dressed in his usual attire for staying home. It took him until he was squeezing toothpaste onto a brush that he remembered what exactly happened last night.

Oh shit.

Him and Loki were talking, weren't they? He was being stupid, managed to slip around Loki, got drunk, got laid. He had _tricked_ the ultimate trickster. Played him like a ken doll and boom! And...he had left his two friends there. It was probably the first time both of them went clubbing and he left them to fend for themselves. Just traded them off for a pair of temporary women.

_Oh shit_. Tony was the worst friends in the world. He brushed his teeth as fast as he could and took another pill for good measure. With a sigh, he asked JARVIS if the two had made it home safely. When the AI responded positively, he relaxed a knot and left his room.

He was greeted by a real sight, one he couldn't pay a billion dollar to see, he bet. No one would believe him unless he took pictures.

The two women he had taken to his towers the night before were seated at his bar, chatting away with Loki. The male himself was perched on the counter, and the real sight to see. Crossing his long, bare legs, Loki rested one hand on his thigh. He was wearing no pants, just a pair of black boxers covered in skulls; Tony had bought it to match the tie he got for him. Moving up, he quickly noticed the frost giant was not wearing a shirt underneath one of his leather jackets.

The jacket was jet black and pure leather. It's collar was turned upward as if Loki came out of one of those cliche movies with a bad boy that stole ladies in the middle of the night. The two pockets on either side were nearly invisible if not for a small zipper in the corner. Tony bet the thing had interior pockets too. The jacket fitted his bare chest well though, unzipped only a quarter of the way, exposing a few light scars across his skin.

Loki's other hand held one of Tony's expensive bottles of scotch. This snapped Tony right out of his inspection and he raised his eyebrows as a question.

"The morn has arrived, Stark." Loki said, his voice...a little cheerful?

"What's going on...?"

"Oh! On my way out here to get breakfast, I ran into these _lovely ladies!_" Loki said in his jolly tone. "And since they are our _guests here_ I invited them over for some quick merry-making before they continue on with their day. You've come at the right time, actually. We were just now talking about _how lovely you are_, Stark."

"Well, that's nice, but we're busy today, remember? We got that-"

"Don't be silly, Stark! We must be hospitable to our guests and not _abandon them_."_  
_

"Loki-"

"Oh my gosh, Tony," one of the girls spoke up, smiling wide. "You didn't tell us your room mate was sooo cute!"

"Such a gentleman." the other winked at Loki who reluctantly smiled back.

"Thanks...uh ladies-"

"Lady Scarlett and Lady Victoria." Loki finished for him, this time sending a black stare towards Tony. The latter signaled for him to leave the room for a second. Loki simply stared at him, acting as if he didn't understand.

"I hope you don't mind us talking for a second," Tony said eventually, walking out the room for Loki to follow. "Be right back!"

"What the _hell_ was that, Lokes? You're crampin' my style, man." Tony said in a hushed tone, definitely not pleased. "Do you understand what a one-night stand is? Don't you guys have that on your planet?"

"Of course they have those on Asgard, Stark."

"Then why are they still here, Lokes? I thought we were bros!" Tony said, waving his hands animately as he spoke.

"'Bros'?! We are not _brothers, _Stark!" Loki snarled back, tone totally devoid of whatever fake tone he mustered minutes before. "First, we do not share the same parentage!"

"So!" Tony shot back, still keeping his voice hushed. "And that's not what it means-"

"Second, Stark," Loki continued on as if he never spoke. "A real _brother_ wouldn't have left me there! He wouldn't have left me or Steven wandering around, scared that we lost you!"

Tony was finally quiet.

"Something serious could've happened to us, Tony! Something could have happened to me," Loki finally brought his voice back down to a whisper. "What you did was very Thor-like, Tony. He would do something like that, leave me alone when I shouldn't be, and just disregard it later. Please don't be like him again."

Tony nodded, letting the gravity of the situation fully sink in. He felt like a major douche bag, that's how bad he felt. The purpose of having Loki with him was to try to help him feel better, not worse. And he'd really have to drop some of his habits if he wanted to keep that goal. It would be hard, but the end goal was much more important. Goodness, he was just so irresponsible.

But then...something dawned on him. Did Loki...use his first name? And not his last? That was some improvement, possibly a milestone for them. He inwardly smiled at the fact that they were finally on first-name basis, but wanted to punch himself for how they got there. But he didn't mention the name to the other man, just in case it was just some type of slip of tongue and they hadn't gone anywhere at all.

"I'm sorry."

"Forgiven. Now, I think it's time for these ladies to depart." Loki started edging his way back.

"Hey...do you like them something?" Tony hesitantly asked. Loki bursted out in laughter for a quick moment.

"No," he said between breaths. "They bore me. I much prefer the company of the 'paperclip' as the creature is called. He's an observant fellow that does not make much noise."

Tony smiled.

* * *

**A/N: Blah OOC. Anyway thank you for over 100 follows! I can't believe you guys find this so amusing. Cx**

**I enjoy the reviews, thank you. (:**


	21. Doop de doop

"Dear ladies, these are now yours. Please enter the elevator and JARVIS will help you with your departure."

"Hey! That's my collection of _expensive_ scotch, and I-"

"But Tony!" Loki gently pushed the iron man back onto his bar stool with a hand on his shoulder while passing along the case of alcohol to the women. He gave the other man a mocking expression and adopted an innocent tone. "We have no need of this anymore as we won't be drinking it! It is only best if we give it to those who will use it well."

"Use it well my ass," Tony muttered but Loki continued on as if he never spoken.

"Here, have a bag to carry that!" Loki kindly passed over a plastic bag before waving goodbye to the ladies. "Farewell."

The women giggled and left the towers with all the alcohol they could carry under their arms or on their backs. Definitely heavy, definitely a lot of booze, but barely a dent in the almost endless supply of bottles Tony kept. Loki sighed and decided to push the problem of alcohol to the side for the time being. He would have to consult with Steve again about that.

* * *

"Not cool," Tony remarked after a moment of silence. "That was taking it too far."

"No," Loki said, straightening up and brushing imaginary dust off the counter. "Steven suggested it. We both agree a smaller supply to the beverages would definitely help with your alcoholism. We discussed it in the 'taxi cab'."

"Hm. At least you're supportive." Tony said. "But that costed a shit load of cash. Most of the stuff here is the good, old, expensive stuff."

"You can purchase more after I'm gone from the store. Besides that, you're wealthy."

Tony couldn't help but snort and chuckle at that.

"No, no, no, Rudolph. You can't just walk into Walmart and ask for some scotch like that. No, that shit came from private auctions from Scotland. Like, it's really old. Before your granny even set foot on this earth old and made from the purest wheat or rye or whatever. And then it sat in an oak- well, you get my point." He waved his hands around eccentrically. Loki simply blinked before nodding slowly.

"I see. We'll just have to auction off the rest of your collection then."

"What?! Uh, _collection_? I can't do that to my babies!"

"There's no way you can consume so much alcohol!" Loki argued. "You have a whole _floor _dedicated to it."

"I'm not going to drink it all! Most of the collection is just there. As a collection."

"How vain."

"Like you're one to talk-" Stark stopped midway through his sentence, head clicking back a ways in the conversation. "What do you mean by 'when you're gone'?"

Loki tilted his head ever so slightly and his brows came down in confusion. "You expect me...to be here forever?"

"I was under the impression that you weren't going to leave soon, yes."

"I'm not," the frost giant sighed. "Not this week. Perhaps next. I need to move on, you know."

"'Move on'? From what, me?" Tony's heart plummeted and he wasn't entirely sure why he immediately reacted that way. "You're leaving me too?"

"No," Loki reassured, tone very reassuring. Tony's shoulders relaxed. He didn't even know he had tensed up so much. "I just need to start searching."

"Searching...for what-" And then the iron man was interrupted by a different british voice.

"Sir, receiving a call from Dr. Bruce Banner." JARVIS chirped and added as if it were an afterthought, "I'm very sorry for the interruption but he said it was urgent."

Tony made a quick gesture toward the other man in the room. They'd pick up that conversation later. Loki nodded, looking a bit nervous at the ceiling though.

"Accept call," Tony said and waited for JARVIS' reply before speaking. "Green and Mean, long time no speak. What do I owe you the pleasure of?"

"Stark?" came the doctor's incredibly soft voice. It was _such_ a contrast to the hulk. "I'm sorry for not keeping closer contact. SHIELD was too close for comfort."

"Aren't they always?" came Stark's quick reply. "What disaster do they want us to clean up this time?'

"Actually," the doctor's voice sounded sheepish this time. "There is no urgent news or emergency."

"Isn't that cute. You just wanted to hear my voice."

"Best thing in the world," Bruce drawled on sarcastically. "No, you wouldn't have picked it otherwise. But hey...I was wondering if I could use your lab. I got some pretty cool research here and I think you'll like it."

That was very true. Tony rarely answered any calls from anyone really. He usually told JARVIS to ignore everyone, tell them he's busy, use his real life model to take messages, whatever. The only way to really reach him was through declaring an emergency that he just _had_ to come to. But not too many really did that either. He guessed they didn't think it was worth it. They were kind of right.

"Hm, nope. No thank you."

"Tony."

"Nope. I'm really busy." he insisted.

"Tony, look. I know it's been really hard for you for a while, but you really need some company. It's not healthy to be there for such a long time by yourself and doing...well what you do. And," Bruce continued, "Some _science__ buddy time_ would be nice."

"You _really_ want to get into my lab, Green Machine."

"I really want to help. And okay, maybe some collaboration would benefit me in this project."

"Fine." Tony finally budged. Though he really wanted to tell Bruce that he had a full house already, he supposed spending some time with the scientist would help him stop his worrying. And...possibly he could be a good addition to the little bro group they had going on at the towers. With Bruce, they'd have two calm-natured people to balance out the more messed-up (him and Loki). He could also maybe help Loki with whatever he was trying to find. He'd just have to figure out how to make this work... "But...I'm going to have to go over some stuff when you get here. Promise me you won't hulk out."

"Why would I hulk out?"

"You okay with coming next week?"

"Sure."

And with that the iron man quickly concluded his phone conversation and turned to the frost giant who was still in the room, still sitting on the bar counter. He looked terrified.

"You invited the beast..." Loki shuffled around. "...to our home?"

"Bruce is a cool guy," Tony said.

"He will surely kill me!"

"No, no, not Bruce! I can't answer for the hulk, but Bruce is chill."

"It won't end well."

"Trust me. If we play it right, he could even help you find..whatever it is you're looking for."

"A way to regain my magic."

"Sure." Tony answered.


	22. Check!

"You don't have to leave at all. You can live here with me, you know."

"I can't stay forever, Tony. If I did, one day I'd wake up, come to my senses, and realize you're gone." A faraway look came to Loki's eyes, a sadness crossing his face. For a moment he looked many centuries older and much wiser. He bore the face of one who'd seen a thousand battles and millions of stars. "If I stayed here forever, I'm sure this building would turn to dust before I could."

"No way. All we have to do is zap over to Mordor, get your magic mojo back, zip back here, and just live."

"_Just live_. Surely we have a greater purpose than to _just_ breathe, Tony?"

"We'll figure it out on the way." Tony shrugged. "Point is, why not Loki? Though you're old as dirt, one day I'll _be_ dirt, yadda yadda, at least you could spend a small segment of your life without too much worry? I mean, you could just sit back, live with me and have fun. And maybe in a hundred years you can look back and just smile. It's better to have had something than nothing at all."

"You're so strange, Stark." Loki couldn't help but give him a small smile. "So weird."

"Psh, I'm not a goat who wears my mother's drapes."

Loki took one of Tony's pawns with his black queen, smiling smugly to himself. Tony had been getting harder to beat, but now the frost giant was starting to reclaim the winner spot. He stretched his legs out some more on the bedroom floor and pulled his iron man bed sheet closer around his body.

"Baaa," he said in response. "Though I'm pretty sure these would be referred to as _your _drapes."

"What?" Tony squawked at the other side of the board. The hypocrite was also wrapped in a bed sheet, this one a different version of Loki's. "They came from your bed. They are yours."

"Your house, your property. Your drapes."

"I do agree with your guest, sir." JARVIS chirped in for good measure. Tony made his move his move in a huff, which opened him up for Loki to call check on him.

"Check. Do you have a more solid plan for Banner?"

"It's been three days. I have a plan." Tony grumbled, moving his king over just for Loki to call check again. "We start out with me personally picking him up from the airport. We exchange small talk, he strokes my ego, we bro-fist and move on."

"And then?"

"We go to a cafe and I talk. I give him a run-down on what's going on and give him a chance to calm down. Bruce is a pretty calm guy, there's a huge chance he won't call SHIELD, especially if they have been on his trail for a while. And he'll have a cup of tea which will keep him from hulking out."

"Wait, Tony." Loki twirled his queen in his hands, delaying his turn. "You say SHIELD has been closely monitoring him for a while? Wouldn't having him here lead them to me?"

"I was thinking about that," Tony admitted. "But I think it should be fine. If Bruce was able to call me earlier on, my guess is they let up some. He wouldn't try to contact anyone, he's that paranoid. Plus I have the highest security in the world. Better than SHIELD, cause' I work so damn hard on it. We should be fine."

"Mhmm." Loki mumbled, still not entirely convinced.

"If Fury gets too close to my system, I'll just have JARVIS send him a nasty little virus. Their system will be shut down in five minutes tops and some pretty embarrassing videos of some agents will spread through the organization. I got some pretty good dirt on them thanks to JARV."

"Fine. But why is SHIELD tracking him in the first place? What exactly happened?"

"They try to keep tabs on me too, you know." Tony couldn't escape Loki's queen. He paused for a moment to see if he could worm his way out of it. "Not only does Bruce have The Other Guy but he also is a pretty smart guy. The try to make sure he doesn't turn green and level out a city. But they also try to make sure his experiments aren't too big. They poke their noses in too far though and try to steal his stuff. Same thing with my technology. It gets so annoying. We value our privacy, thank you."

"So is that why you need special clearance to visit your lab?"

"Wait," Tony made his move and frowned. "You...tried to go into my lab?"

"Only once, I'm sorry for trying to intrude," Loki shrugged. "I thought you were aware? JARVIS told me he informed you. It frightened me so I went back to my room."

"JARVIS, you're an ass." Tony yelled towards the ceiling before letting out a light chuckle. "You're fine Loki. JARV was just being an ass and pranking you. Not a big deal, but yeah...my lab is kind of my personal space. But you _do_ have clearance to go in there. He just has to tell me when you're near it."

"I see. Anyway, what was the rest of your plan?"

"When that's all covered and dandy, you two will talk like grown men, sort out whatever past beef you got, then we give each other a friendship bracelet and go on with our mediocre lives."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late! Here, have some OOC goodness, "fluff", some calm before the storm, or whatever you kids are calling it nowadays. Thank you~**


	23. Getting Ready

**A/N: Sorry, had some difficulty publishing this. Not sure if it's the site or my computer or what, so sorry if anything seems wrong or out of place! Thanks.**

* * *

"Loki, for goodness sakes, put on some real clothes! Bruce is coming in a few hours and we don't want him to be nervous." Steve said, all authority in his voice. He stood with his feet between the chess set, officially bringing an end to the game of the day. He couldn't believe they spent all this time just playing board games! They had a week to prepare!

"I'm not wearing anything threatening," Loki reassured him. "I should stick to this attire so he will not 'hulk out'."

"Put on some pants! You shouldn't wear _just_ boxers all day."

"Tony does it."

"You are acting like a child!" Steve took a moment to mentally calm himself down. "Tony is not the best role model-"

"Hey! I'm freakin' iron man-"

"-and you should not base any wardrobe decisions on him. An oversized t-shirt is not enough. Please respect yourself and cover up."

"I do what I want Steve," Loki sighed, standing up from the recent game. He and Steve had a staring match until finally the frost giant headed off to get some clothes on. Satisfied, the captain turned to Tony with his hands firmly on his hips.

"Tony," Steve began, only to get waved off.

"I know, I get it Spangles so untangle your panties. I'll put on a suit and get my ass out of here." Tony shrugged and headed on out too.

"Good." Steve muttered to himself. He felt like a babysitter.

* * *

"I do not trust him at all."

Bruce shifted in his wooden chair, careful not to knock over the blueberry muffin and camomile tea Tony had ordered for him. The lighting in the cafe was a little dim but he could still see the faint frown line the iron man had on his face. He watched Tony take a gulp of his black coffee, eyes shifting around the Starbucks, before he leaned forward. They sat seated in the corner of the room, so Bruce wasn't sure that look-over was necessary.

"Bruce-"

"Why does he _have_ to get have his magic? I don't know about you, but that's pretty fishy to me."

"It's a part of him, Bruce. It's like my suits, Cap's shield, the hulk." Tony decided to ignore the fact that the other's gaze shifted downward. "I guess he can't find his groove without it, y'know?"

"Oh yes, he finds his 'groove' and continues his mission to slaughter the rest of New York-"

"He's changed. He's done with all that, I promise. You just have to look at him, trust me." Tony gripped the other man's hand tight, fixing his hard gaze at eye level. The iron man pushed aside the urge to bring up how he was acting like they were in a cliche movie. Things were too serious at the moment.

Bruce stared back, tired eyes searching. After a few beats of silence, Bruce finally exhaled, giving in. Not too many people got a chance to see what was under Tony's armor of snark and faked optimism. But Bruce had seen what the real man was many times, not as much as Pepper, but enough to draw his own conclusions. He knew of the man's potential, his intelligence, kindness, and sense of things. Tony had never proven wrong on hunches before (even when they performed a highly dangerous and questionably illegal experiment; in Tony's defense the law never stated anything against stuffing concentrated chemicals into socks while wearing them along with sandals) and Bruce was going to take his word, even though it sounded crazy.

"That man has a head full of cats," Bruce shook his head slowly and gave his friend a light smile. "It'd be nice to get some of them out."

"Spring cleaning! We already dusted the basement."

"It'd be nice to have a good night sleep with The Other Guy worrying about one less thing," Bruce took a bite out of his muffin and a swig of tea. "I'll try my best to keep him in, but no guarantees. If Loki tries to give another inferiority speech of his..."

"Fine. If you start turning green, our plan is to get you out of the room. But...I doubt he'll be doing that...at least directed towards _any of us_."

"What's he like now?" Bruce murmured, deciding to not ask the question that immediately spawned after Tony's last statement. _What did he mean by not towards 'any of us'_, he thought. _Was Loki...talking to inanimate objects now? _He knew the 'god' was crazy, but damn, did he get worse? But judging by everything Tony told him about the situation, he bet Thor made things that way.

"He's nearly fine!" Tony chimed, leaning forward some in his chair. "I'd say he's pretty sane. Pretty nice now, funny at times, besides being the emo kid in the corner sometimes, he's recovering nicely."

"What have you been doing?" Bruce realized then that he had asked the type of question Tony would respond to for a couple of hours. Just like his rants on his suits, science, and different types of alcohol, the iron man spoke a million miles a second about it. He passionately described playing chess with Loki, paperclips, jokes, pancakes, and a strange taste in wardrobe to Bruce, waving his hands animately. Bruce was _very_ confused on everything Tony described going on at his place, but he tried to keep up anyway. He nodded at the appropriate times, laughed at the hilarious moments the inventor described.

All while sipping on his tea, Bruce observed his friend. He didn't look heart broken anymore, in fact, a certain glow was in his eyes. Tony looked healthy. His skin was clear, his usual tan in place. He looked like he was finally eating food healthy for him and drinking something other than scotch.

Tony's smile was so wide and genuine every time he said Loki's name. It even brightened when he described a paperclip (Bruce was still confused about that one). And right then and there, Bruce solidified his choice in his mind. The man pushed The Other Guy away enough for comfort in his head. He was going to give this a genuine shot especially if it brought such _energy_ back to Tony's face.

He would do anything that helped make his friend alive again, even if it involved a certain genocidal criminal. And, maybe while he was at it, he'd find Thor and personally solve the enigma of him throwing his brother into the towers. And then, he'd sit the two brothers down in an office.

For counseling and family bonding.


	24. Two hours behind

Loki was having some last minute regrets; big time. Why did he agree to allowing Bruce over to the towers? What were they thinking? He slumped down on the couch, staring straight ahead at the blank screen in front of him. A "television" Tony had told him. Loki had no clue what it was, what it did, or why he didn't bother learning until now. Tony simply told him that when he came back with Bruce, he was in for a surprise.

Bruce.

A man who was unpredictable and uncontrollable in Loki's eyes. At the time during the invasion, he thought of him as the perfect device to use. The beast was chaos and Loki was an expert in the subject matter. But...he was too much for him to handle, if that was possible? Too strong for him to rule. He had gotten pummeled into the ground and it had _hurt_. Imagine what damage the man could do to his pretty much _mortal_ body?

He shivered. Though Steve and Tony insisted Banner was a completely different person and the one who beat him was really the "hulk", he didn't completely believe them. If even an ounce of a man is a threat, he counts him as a whole enemy. That was one of Loki's mottos and it had saved his arse many times in the past. He needed to be wary and as soon as the man "helped" him, he'd make sure to cut him off. To put enough distance between them so he won't have to worry about a knife between his shoulder blades as he slept.

"Loki," Steve mumbled from beside him. The captain momentarily stopped his sketching to give him a pointed look. "Relax. Stop slouching, Bruce is a nice guy. He's very smart."

"I do what I want, Steve." Loki muttered sulkily and purposely made his posture worse. The movement wrinkled the plain button-down shirt and leather jeans he was wearing. Steve simply rolled his eyes and continued his drawing of a hummingbird.

* * *

When they finally arrived, it was two hours behind schedule. Tony had promised them he'd come back at least by seven in the afternoon. It was about nine o'clock when JARVIS finally announced the two were in the elevator, coming up.

About an hour earlier, Steve had decided to pop some popcorn as a snack. Tony had explicitly told him _not_ to cook anything because he was going to order pizza. They were going to have a movie night, get Loki calm enough to be around Bruce, then get down to business. Or, if they had to, wait another day for him to calm it down. They hoped they didn't need an extra though.

Since Tony hadn't showed up on time and the two were pretty hungry, Steve just popped some corn. Him and Loki ate about two bags until they fell asleep on the couches. Steve was still sitting on the couch he claimed for himself when he just lulled off. The bag he was eating out of slipped out his hands and created a mess all over him. And the floor.

Loki had sprawled over his own couch, his empty bag right on the floor. He was in pretty deep sleep because he didn't immediately wake up. The captain did though. But before Steve could move or clean up some of the popcorn, the elevator dinged open and out stepped the two men they had been waiting for.

"Honey, I'm home!" came Tony's excited voice. "I broughteth thou substeneth."

And the iron man came into the room shaking the stacked pizzas he had in his hands before setting them down on the coffee table in front of the couches. Bruce sheepishly came into the area too, carrying a few dozens of flavored sparkling waters.

"Hello Bruce." Steve said with a smile.

"Captain." Bruce said with a slight wave of his hand. "You missed your mouth."

"Really, your whole face." Tony chimed in. "Did you guys start without us?"

"No, we just ate some popcorn," Steve shoved a pile of the stuff to a corner of the couch before getting up to grab a broom. "Because _someone_ came home late."

"We just had a long chat, Steve," Bruce interrupted whatever smartass comment Tony was going to say. He shifted his attention to Loki's sleeping form. "He's skinnier than I remember."

"You've lost weight yourself." Tony quipped and shooed him away from the beverages. He grabbed one out and slowly sipped on it, feeling the carbonation. Steve and Loki had convinced him to buy carbonated drinks for his alcohol withdraws. Though it wasn't the healthiest, it was a step, and hopefully the slight burn would substitute for Tony's usual drinks. The two weren't compatible though, at least not for Tony. "Hey Lokes!"

The iron man poked Loki in the side a few times. Though he received a few twitches, that was not enough for Tony. Part of movie night was to introduce some "Midgardian technology". Loki needed to be awake for it!

So he decided to sit down on top of his outstretched legs. The newly added weight was enough to get Loki to open his eyes and rejoin the world. He grumbled and tried to shift aside. Tony just casually opened up a box of pizza and took a slice. "JARVIS, what movie do you suggest we watch?"

"Something classic!" Steve chimed in.

"Uh, I was asking-" Tony started but was interrupted by the sound of Bruce sinking down onto one of the sofas nearby.

"I'm up for something classic and it'd be good to show him some pop culture."

"Agreed, sir." came JARVIS' reply. Tony just rolled his eyes before asking what he'd suggest then.

"What is a movie?" Loki muttered sleepily, once again trying to shift. Tony wouldn't budge. "And you're late, Tony."

"I'm sorry," came Bruce's soft voice. Loki immediately came to attention, tensing up when he looked over and saw Banner. The latter had gotten up and outstretched a hand towards him. He was smiling, his curly dark hair a mess. "That's partly my fault. I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, nice to...officially meet you."


	25. Titanic

Before Tony knew what was going on, Loki had wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in closer. Tony acted like a shield, covering most of Loki, except for his head. The frost giant openly stared at Bruce, a frown forming on his lips. The entire room stood frozen for moments minus Loki's not-so-subtle shivering. Finally, Bruce put down his neglected hand, sadly shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"Good." Loki said simply, keeping his gaze squarely on Bruce until he felt a quick nudge in his side. He glanced quickly to Tony who was slowly shaking his head. And then the man of iron shifted so he could whisper in his ear._  
_

"_Be nice Lokes, or I'll personally punch you in the dick._" he rasped, just audible enough for the frost giant to hear. Loki nodded slowly, getting the message. He tried again:

"Hello...Banner."

"Are-" Bruce began but stopped himself. The original plan included him trying to engage in a conversation with Loki and seem less threatening. But...he didn't feel that was a good time. The room was too tense; but he was used to that. "Let's just...watch something."

The scientist finally retook his seat and tried to ignore Loki's intense gaze. Steve and Tony forced themselves to direct their attention to the screen.

"A classic, huh?" Tony said, moving a bit to get more comfortable as a human meat shield laying against Loki in a complete platonic way. He actually wasn't sure if Loki was aware of how tight he held him or whether he realized he was holding him close at all. And..Tony wasn't sure whether he should somehow pull away from the frost giant or just pat him reassuringly. He opted for acting like nothing happened. "Like _Titanic_ or something?"

"There's a film about the Titanic?" Steve asked, looking interested.

"Yeah," Tony chuckled. "With Leo Di'Cap. A little romance, tragedy, shit happens, y'know. No spoilers."

"I don't think a film about a ship sink-"

"No spoilers!" Tony interrupted. Steve rolled his eyes and tried again.

"I don't think a tragedy is a good first film."

"Lokes is a big boy, aren't you?" Tony nudged Loki's side again. The latter quit his staring for a quick second to give his input.

"What's a film?"

"JARVIS, put on _Titanic_!" Tony answered, grabbing another slice of pizza to stuff his face with. "This poor man needs to be enlightened in the fine arts. Lokes, quit staring down Bruce. If you're going to cuddle with me darling, I'd prefer you look at my beautiful face."

"Oh come on Tony," Bruce said in an equally playful tone as his friend. "No one ever checks me out anymore. Share the wealth."

"You should know by now that I'm particularly selfish." The screen lit up and JARVIS paused it as they spoke. "I'm possessive and I must be the only one!"

Loki finally tore his gaze from Bruce and rolled his eyes. Tony smiled reassuringly and the frost giant spoke up again.

"What is a movie and film?"

"Shh, look at the magic box." Tony whispered.

"JARVIS mentioned that it was electrical."

"He was lying. It's magic."

"Television." Loki whispered. He was not going to be fooled. He was pretty quick in the wit department unlike Thor...

"Okay. So to put in the most simplest terms I can, a movie is a sequence of video clips put together to create a story." Tony whispered. "Video clips meaning a sequence of recorded images."

"I don't under-" Loki began but stopped mid-word when the opening scene of the movie played. "Ah. I know _exactly _what this is then."

When everyone in the room gave him a questioning look, he warily glanced over at Bruce and then explained. "Last time I was here...in New York...I got a glimpse of these. Along the streets, in some restaurants, homes. But I've never watched a 'movie' before."

The avengers made a satisfied sound before turning back to the screen.

"Well," Tony piped up after a few minutes. "Enjoy this. By the time this over, you're going to be crying so hard you'll need to punch a hole through the wall to restore your masculinity."

* * *

Tony was right. Not even halfway through the movie, Steve became immensely hyped and distressed over everything. He really wanted to share how he was upset with the fact that he _knew_ the ship was going to sink, Jack was probably going to die (poor guy he was a good artist), and the theme song was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. But at the same time, he felt enthused about the amazing quality of just about everything. He went through many bags of popcorn.

Loki's reaction was a little different. He knew nothing about the historical aspect of the film and actually asked about it. Tony did not want to spoil anything, especially since he was so engrossed in it, but he did tell him the main premise was real. That made the frost giant lean forward in anticipation, curious about the characters' destiny. And...he was also wondering where all the maiming and killing was. Most popular stories he read involved that type of stuff; why would the moving story be different? And...all the while, he tried not to get too sucked into the film. He kept a fervent eye on Bruce, making sure he didn't go all mean and green, paranoid as a cat in a bag.

Of course Bruce was as chill as a cucumber. He was simply lounging in his seat, watching the movie with the calmest expression. He had seen _Titanic_ enough times to not be so attached to it.

Tony had also seen the movie enough times to not be too surprised. It was something he and Pepper used to watch on casual date nights. He mentally shrugged away that memory. She wasn't coming back. He actually...hadn't done too much thinking about her lately. That was all well with him, though he joked with himself she would be summoned by her strange six sense of the _Titanic_ playing.

The moment finally arrived when all four men lost it and shed tears.

The tragic ending arrived. Steve cried like a giant baby, it was actually embarrassing. The other three spent a good two minutes shedding silent tears before gathering themselves. No matter how hard Tony tried, he always got choked up at the end. Always. He couldn't help but give Loki a little hug. Loki looked pretty shocked at the ending. No bastard children strangling each other and falling into the water like he was betting. Nope. The ship sunk, people died, the end. Goodbye to the romantic duo.

"So...how was it?" Bruce asked Loki hesitantly, wiping away a tear. For some reason, seeing the doctor cry really relieved a little of his paranoia towards the man. It made him seem more harmless. Human. But still unpredictably dangerous, so he wasn't completely off the hook. Not _that_ fast, let's be realistic.

"That was good. Romantic. Tragic." Loki said slowly. "Let's watch another."

"Sure," Tony replied, untangling himself from Loki and the couch so he could stretch. "Once Cap' over there gets himself together."

* * *

No one realized the elevator opened right before the movie ended. Pepper Potts walked in late at night for two purposes. She had paperwork to drop off for Tony. As usual.

The second...because she had a strange feeling. She wasn't sure exactly what caused her to go over to the towers that late at night, but she felt like she needed to check up on everything. The blonde told herself it was because she hadn't heard from Steve in a couple of days (yes, she checked up on him every other day) and she wanted to make sure Loki killed them in their sleep. But whatever the reason, she came. She saw the popcorn, the pizza, the movie. One of her favorites, _Titanic_ was just about to end. She set down the papers at the bar before she noticed.

Tony and Loki. On the same couch. Watching the movie together.

It looked almost like one of their old casual movie dates.

The nostalgia was broken once the movie ended; she got to see all the men cry.

* * *

**A/N: Ahhh, crappy and late update! I'm sorry, had computer trouble! Also, sorry if you can taste hints of sarcasm in the writing tone. Insomnia does that for me, I'm afraid!**

**Thank you for the reviews and follows! They really make my day. (:**

**Enjoy, there's a surprise for the next update.**


	26. Lightening

**A/N: I'm alive!**

* * *

Feet crashed into the ground and buried themselves in the rubble. They were buried deep enough for him not to stumble over and fall. The fact that he was used to landing with such force helped too. He placed his hammer on his belt and straightened out his Midgardian clothes. Gathering himself, he left the New York alleyway with an air of importance.

He pushed through the crowds of mortals as if they were playing cards. After a while, enough got the memo, and soon many were simply clearing a path for him. He smiled and mumbled his thanks for their cooperation. They responded in their New Yorkian way, which Thor shrugged off. He was used to it.

The thunder god took a moment to stand before Stark Towers, taking in all of it's beauty. He knew his brother was still there, right where he left him. Thor wasn't positive on what condition he'd find Loki in and the thought brought a pain to his heart which he frowned at. He knew he shouldn't feel the need to care about little things like that; after all he had been the one to throw him down there in his rage. He had wanted whatever Loki had coming to him to happen. He wanted Loki to finally learn his place, his lesson. But he was angry then.

Now he wasn't sure if he still wanted Loki in the same place he tried to destroy. But he supposed it was the only way to get something into his thick skull. He turned away from the tower, too conflicted. For a quick moment he let some of his anger out in the form of a few strikes of lightening and thunder. But then he calmed himself down, chided his inner rage for giving away his position to his brother. It wasn't the time to involve himself with his brother's life. Not now.

* * *

Pepper was noticed when Steve went around to grab a tissue. He quickly wiped away his tears, washed his hands, and went over to hug the strawberry blonde. "Hey Pepper! Whatcha' doing here? Didn't know you were coming."

She returned the hug before saying firmly, "Paperwork."

"Tony will get it signed. Thank you." Loki said before anyone else could. He gave Pepper a formal, slightly wary look before looking away.

"Hm...I-uhm, thank you Loki."

"I knew it," Tony chuckled, leaning over the back of the sofa. Loki scooted further away, obviously feeling uncomfortable. First Bruce. Now Pepper. Two strangers, both he didn't really want to deal with. "Titanic always lures you in Pepper. It's like your sixth sense. Like 'spidey sense' only cooler. That guy's such a nerd."

"You've got me." Pepper sighed as if she were defeated. "It's my favorite movie in my defense."

"No it's not," Tony joked, tone a bit thin as if he were remembering old times. "It's Dum-E's favorite."

"You mean 12% of it is Dum-E's." she replied in the same tone before resuming her usual. "How are you doing, Tony? Haven't heard much about your 'spiral into darkness' lately. Either you're staying cooped up here or doing something in your lab."

"Mmm, thanks for checking the press." Tony said and held up his bottle of sparkling water. "I switched to carbonation only if that's what you're wondering."

"That's a miracle."

"It's probably spiked. I wouldn't put it past you, Tony." Pepper jumped when Bruce finally spoke. She forgot about him as he had faded into the background. He voice was still soft as ever too.

"Honey, I thought we agreed that we weren't going to talk about that. That's a direct violation of science buddy time, Bruce." Tony nearly whined.

"It is a violation of _our_ deal I believe." Loki said. "How did you manage to do that though? I watched you open every bottle you had."

"Oh," Tony sighed. "I haven't yet. Was planning on it, but just a few drops each."

"JARVIS, is this correct?" chimed in Steve.

"_Indeed._" came JARVIS' reply, as smug as ever.

"You all are traitors." said Tony.

"Keep saying that," Loki said. "I will have JARVIS find the rest of your stash and I will drink it in front of you myself."

"So Pepper," Steve turned to the only female in the room, "How's Happy?"

"He's fine," Pepper replied smoothly. "We both are fine. We went to a little business party yesterday, it was pretty fun, and went out for dinner."

"What?" Tony asked, very confused.

"That's lovely!" Steve replied as if Tony hadn't spoken.

"I should get going on that note. He's waiting for me downstairs." Pepper gave everyone a smile and Steve walked her to the elevator.

"Tell him I said thanks for all the transportation to the park," Steve said before she stepped in. "Mornings are nice for baseball."

"I'll tell him. I'll also be back tomorrow for the papers. Bye!"

And with that Pepper Potts left the towers, of course not before sending Loki one lingering, departing look. As soon as she left, Tony turned to the captain and asked, "Is she...with Happy?"

"...Oh, well, yes. Has been for a while."

"Oh." said Tony simply, turning back to properly sit in the sofa. Everyone stared at him, studying his face, and tried to gauge his reaction. After a few moments of sporting a poker face, the iron man finally shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Loki. "Lucky girl, huh?"

But before Loki could mutter a reply or move, sudden thunder shook the building. He moved his gaze over to a window by reflex and saw a quick flash of lightening. He couldn't help but feel a dark hook right in his heart tug. Looking away, he simply nodded to Tony and asked JARVIS to close the blinds, check the forecast. "Let's watch another movie."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for all the support! I might not be able to update often as I have a boatload of schoolwork coming in. I'll take my time. Enjoy this and thanks!**


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